Chalta hi aviation is powerless
The slogan of the salon Aero India - "Do it in India"
The tenth Aero India-2015 international aerospace show, which opened in Bangalore, will undoubtedly leave a noticeable mark on stories the whole world industry.
First, the exhibition is held a few weeks after the leaders of Russia and the USA visited India - first, in December 2014, Vladimir Putin, then Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and after him, Barack Obama. Secondly, the Bangalore bride for the first time will be held under the slogan "Do it in India", which is proclaimed by the new government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Slow exit from the corkscrew
Moscow and Washington are the main rivals for the delivery of New Delhi military products. According to analysts, Russia seeks to maintain its position as the main supplier. The volume of our country's arms exports to India since the 60-s amounted to at least 45 billions of dollars. More than 60 percent of the main military platforms currently in service with the national armed forces are produced in Russia. However, in recent years, India has sought to diversify suppliers of defense products. As a result, in the 2011 – 2014 period, Washington surpassed Moscow: 5,3 and 4,1 billion dollars, respectively, experts of the weekly Jaynes Defense Weekly say.
“The price of Rafale fighters has already more than doubled compared to the billions of dollars announced at the 10 tender”
Regarding the slogan put forward by Modi, sources in the Western DIC declared “Jaynes”: “Obviously, we have something to offer to the defense market of India, however, the main focus now will be on partnership with Indian firms.”
The combat readiness and fighting capacity of the Indian Air Force is declining, despite the rise to power of the government, which seems ready to make the most radical decisions regarding the acquisition of weapons and military equipment (IWT).
In 2006, the World Air Forces application of the weekly Jayes Defense Weekly JWAF (Jane's World Air Forces) described the Indian Air Force as a competent, knowledge-intensive type of armed forces characterized by a sharp shortage of pilots and a very high percentage of accidents, especially fighters MiG-21.
Aviation the fleet of the Indian Air Force, with the exception of the Su-30MKI, is aging, and measures are being taken to repair, modernize and replace both combat and transport aircraft. The publication writes: “The Indian Air Force operates in a state of constantly changing decisions regarding their structure. At the same time, making optimal decisions is complicated due to political pressure, the influence of past gender corruption scandals, conflicting budget priorities, ongoing problems associated with the development of domestic systems and bureaucratic delays in the framework of tender procedures. ”
Of course, in recent years, much has changed. An internal assessment of the Indian Air Force, conducted in 2014, and published in Jaynes, shows that the combat capability of fleets of combat and transport aircraft and helicopters has averaged 60 percent over the previous three years. At the same time, as studies have shown, the fleet of combat aircraft had the lowest level of operational readiness - 55 percent, helicopters - 62 percent, and training and training (TCB) and air transport vehicles - 65 percent. According to the study, this situation is primarily due to delays in the implementation of the procurement programs of the Ministry of Defense and the poor state of maintenance and support for the operation of aircraft platforms by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited).
The parliamentary defense committee is confident that the defense ministry has failed to ensure the condition of the air force that is required by India. A number of reports published at the end of December last year point to a constant budget deficit, its negative impact on the combat capability and combat readiness of the Air Force.
The parliament is particularly discontent with the inadequate management of the Air Force parks by the Ministry of Defense. Stressing that the squadron strength is currently only 34 units instead of the envisaged 42, the committee said that the current situation is due to the lack of predictive planning. As concerns were highlighted, in particular, the program of the multifunctional mid-range fighter MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) and light combat aircraft LCA (Light Combat Aircraft).
LCA program
LCA, or Tejas, is a program for the development and production of a native Indian light fighter that started in the middle of the 80s. The first serial "Tejas" in the Mk.1 version was transferred to the Indian Air Force a month ago - after 32 a year since the program began.
In February, 2014, the Ministry of Defense, stated that the backlog of the LCA program was one of the main reasons why the Air Force’s capacity buildup was inhibited, and “Tedzhas” certification was postponed due to problems with developing critical aircraft systems.
Unsatisfied with such a report, the parliamentary committee announced that this way was illustrated by the negligent and heartless ministry's approach to increasing the effectiveness of air force squadrons. LCA lag is a symptom of what Narendra Modi described in August 2014 as a chalta hai, or careless attitude. “In India, there is no shortage of scientific talents and opportunities, but it is precisely the careless attitude towards their duties that puts an end to all undertakings,” said the Premier at a specialized event at the headquarters of the Defense Research and Development Organization in New -Delhi.
“The world will not wait for us,” he continued. - We have to run ahead of time. We should not say that the project that started in 1992 will be completed in some time. Taking into account the rapid development of military equipment in the world, India cannot afford to refine the systems that are already two steps behind what will be on the market in the near future. ”
The single-seat light fighter LCA reached initial combat readiness only in December 2013 - two years later than planned. Constant delays in the program forced the Air Force to extend the life of the MiG-21, which were to be replaced by LCA./p>
According to HAL, six serial LCAs will be built by 2016, in the future it is planned to achieve an annual production rate in 16 units. According to the calculations of the management of the corporation, the delivery of two air squadrons on 20 fighters "Tejas" Mk.1 in each will be completed by 2018 year. The first of these will initially be based in Bangalore to allow HAL to quickly resolve emerging technical issues. Subsequently, this squadron will be relocated to a permanent location in Sulur, 350 kilometers from the city of Coimbatore in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
In general, the HAL and the Aeronautical Development Agency's ADD Aeronautical Development Agency DRDO have so far spent 1,33 a billion dollars on the development of an LCA. Starting from 1983, when the program started, 16 of TJAS M.1 aircraft was built: two technology demonstrators, three experimental fighters, two LCA in training version, seven products in the framework of small-scale production and two prototypes of the deck version.
Although the construction of the first production model is a great achievement, officials do not deny that the aircraft does not meet the requirements of the Air Force and is a temporary replacement. The lack of engine power in 80 – 85 kN limits the composition of weapons, the fighter is not equipped with electronic warfare.
In addition, LCA will not be able to strike with long-range missiles and hit air targets beyond visual visibility, since the integration of the weapon system is still ongoing. And the equipment for air refueling LCA Mk.1 will receive only when it reaches full combat readiness.
Many have questioned the statement of the former HAL president R.K. Tyagi that 60 is a percent of the components and systems of LCAs of local development and production. In any case, General Electric's F404-GE-IN20 engines, weapons and many other elements of the fighter are imported.
Today, the Air Force is pinning its hopes on the LCA Mk.2, which is supposed to be equipped with a more powerful GE-414 engine and is expected to be ready for mass production in 2019 – 2020.
Meanwhile, on the eve of the opening of the cabin from the factory airfield of HAL Corporation in Bangalore, the second prototype NP2 (Navy Prototype) of the LCA aircraft in the naval version - LCA-N - took to the air. And earlier, December 20 prototype NP1 made a springboard take-off at the test site in Goa. These two events marked important steps in the implementation of the Indian LCA-N program, aimed at developing technologies that provide the possibility of using the aircraft from the ship, including landing using aerofinisers and springboard taking off. India is now one of the three countries with a testing ground for naval aviation and a world six capable of developing ship-based aircraft.
MMRCA program
The initial tender, opened in 2007, provides for the acquisition and licensed production of 126 aircraft in India. At the beginning of 2012, the winner of this tender was the company Dassault (Dassault) with the Rafale fighter (Rafale).
However, recently, Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar suggested that the Indian military might acquire an additional number of multi-functional Su-30MKI fighter jets instead of continuing ongoing contractual negotiations with Dassault regarding the licensed production of 108 Rafale at HAL facilities in Bangalore. This proposal was supported by a number of senior representatives of the Ministry of Defense, one of whom said that the final decision on Rafale fighters should be taken by New Delhi before Modi’s official visit to France and Germany, scheduled for April.
"The Defense Ministry insists that the actions of" Dassault "not contradict the conditions of the tender 2007 of the year, including the requirements of the Air Force to the aircraft MMRCA", - said one of the senior representatives of this type of troops. A substantial part of these requirements includes Dassault’s obligation to organize Rafale’s licensed production at HAL enterprises. “The reluctance of Dassault to take responsibility for this part of the tender conditions, including quality control, delivery times and an early assessment of losses, may well lead to the elimination of the tender results,” he added.
The French aircraft manufacturer explains his protests regarding the fulfillment of customer requirements by the fact that he does not have administrative levers on HAL, which, as has been repeatedly mentioned in parliamentary reports and complaints from Air Force representatives, often disrupts production schedules and overspend funds on many projects.
The head of the General Directorate of Armaments at the French Ministry of Defense, Laurent Colle-Beyon 11, explained in February: Dassault refused to extend warranty service to Rafale fighters, which will be manufactured under license in India. This should not cause additional difficulties, since these conditions were not specified in the request for a commercial offer before the relevant tender was held in India. ”
France allegedly insists on increasing the cost of these aircraft in the event that it is decided to service them by the specialists of the manufacturer. Meanwhile, the price of fighters has already more than doubled compared to the billions of dollars announced during the tender 10.
The Indian Air Force, despite all these problems, still believes that the Rafale fighter program must be implemented. Vice-Marshal of Aviation Manmohan Bahadur from the Air Force Research Center in New Delhi shows “cautious optimism” about the purchase of “Rafaley” and does not support the recent proposal of the Minister of Defense Parrikar for additional purchases of Su-30MKI instead of French fighters: “ Regular commanders of aviation persuaded the government to make a decision on the purchase of Rafale, this choice was made after a comprehensive professional assessment, which did not cause any contradictions. ”
Bahadur believes that significant technological differences between the French platform and Su-30MKI determine the operational need for the acquisition of Rafale. He admitted that the cost of the Su-30MKI, built under license, which is 59,66 million, is about half as much. But he drew attention to the extremely high cost of operating aircraft developed by Sukhoi, which require expanded and expensive parking places. A more economical French fighter in operation and maintenance also has a technical advantage over the Su-30MKI, since it is equipped with an onboard radar station (BRLS) with an active phased antenna array (AFAR), and in addition, it has an effective scattering surface.
Another advantage of "Rafal", according to Indian experts, is that it is a single platform, whereas Su-30 requires a crew of two people. “Acquiring an additional quantity of Su-30МКИ will definitely require training an increased number of pilots compared to the acquisition of Rafale, with enormous expenditures,” said Bahadur.
Air Force Marshal Jimmy Bhatia, a military analyst, also believes that Rafale is more important for improving the combat capability of the Indian Air Force, as this platform provides improved processing of complex data and increased situational awareness: Rafali is urgently needed to fill the gap formed after the cancellation of fighters MiG-21 and MiG-27, and get the opportunities that Su-30MKI does not possess. It is necessary to consider the operational properties and the cost of the life cycle, as well as some other advantages of this platform. Delays in the LCA program require the speedy signing of a contract and the start of the supply of French fighters. ”
FGFA program
During the visit to India of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the parties agreed to speed up work on the creation of the fifth generation FGFA (Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft) fighter, jointly developed by Sukhoi and HAL based on the PAK FA platform (a promising front-line aviation complex) or T- 50 Russian Air Force.
“The tender for the purchase of reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters was canceled due to the negligent selection procedure of the winner”
Under this program, worth 11 billions of dollars, New Delhi allocates 295 millions to develop a blueprint. According to current plans, HAL will build 2020 – 2022 FGFA planes for the total amount of 130 billions of dollars for 145 – 30 years. Representatives of the Indian Air Force stipulate that this number may increase significantly, taking into account China’s development of fifth-generation fighter jets J-20 and J-31, the last of which may go into service with Pakistan’s aviation.
In 2014, the work on the FGFA program was practically not promoted, since the partners clarified a number of controversial issues. 10 in January, the world media, with reference to the regional director for international cooperation of the United Aircraft Building Corporation (UAC), Andrey Marshankin, reported that Russia and India have agreed on the draft design of the FGFA fighter. According to the UAC representative, there is already documentation and an understanding of the volume of the next design stage, the scale of the future mass production. Marshankin did not disclose any other details. In particular, the question has not cleared up in which configuration the FGFA conceptual design has been agreed - single or double.
It was previously believed that although the Indian Air Force traditionally preferred airplanes operated by two pilots, they would remove this requirement for the FGFA, since the Russian side requested a billion dollars for the development of the two-seat version (this option would differ significantly from the PAK FA, which could be taken as the basis of the FGFA ). At Aero India-2013, for example, only a single model of a joint fighter was presented.
During the visit to India of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the parties agreed to speed up work on the creation of a fifth-generation fighter. Photo: ITAR-TASS
Nothing is known about the engine. India has consistently insisted on equipping FGFA with the Russian AL-41Ф1 (or “117 product”) developed for the PAK FA, and on providing a level of stealth and weapons capabilities similar to that of the T-50. In addition, New Delhi is demanding a higher share of its participation in the program after Moscow unilaterally reduced it from 25 to 13 percent. India is trying to gain wider access to fighter design, says Jaynes.
Nevertheless, military analyst Marshal Aviation Jimmy Bhatia believes, the listed issues are unlikely to frustrate the program: “As in a number of other Indian-Russian defense deals, eventually all problems will be resolved in bilateral negotiations. The Indian Air Force has no choice other than FGFA for mastering stealth technology. With all the possible shortcomings, only the Russians will be able to provide us with these technologies, and no one else. ”
Less traffic problems
While the fleet of combat aircraft of the Indian Air Force can only be called partially effective, the situation with transport platforms is much better. This is largely due to the choice in favor of the US Military Assistance Program for Foreign States (FMS (Foreign Military Sales)) and the improvement of the strategic partnership between Washington and New Delhi.
Back in the middle of 2000, relations between the two countries left much to be desired. The Pentagon’s General Evaluation Office has published a report stating that in the area of military cooperation there is a steady and in some cases deep distrust as a result of the Cold War and India’s close ties with the Soviet Union. In the US, they hoped to overcome the negative through a special campaign launched at the Aero India-2003 air show two years after the lifting of the sanctions announced by Washington against New Delhi for conducting nuclear tests in 1998. The efforts made led to negotiations on the possible supply by the Indian Air Force of P-3C Orion (Orion) naval patrol aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin and C-130 transport aircraft. The sale of C-130 (at the initial stage of the negotiations of six, and in the process of negotiating 12 machines) was settled in the 2008 year. And the potential contract for the P-3C was replaced by the export to India of the MPS P-8I “Neptune” (Neptune) produced by “Boeing” (Boeing). It was the first foreign delivery of this type of aircraft, which significantly increased the capabilities of the Indian Navy.
In addition to the C-130 (the cost of the first six platforms - 962 million dollars), the Air Force also purchased Boeing’s X-NUMX X-NUMX X-NUMX heavy transport X-NUMX 10 heavy transport vehicles. The parties are currently negotiating X-NUMX heavy CH-17F “Chinook” transport helicopters, as well as AH-3E “Apache” (Apache) 4,1 drums, which won the Indian tender in October of 15-nd.
After C-130 and C-17 filled the corresponding niche in the national air force park (the first five C-130 are used by special forces, one is lost in an accident in 2014), India launched two ambitious programs to replace the modernized 105 fleet An-32 medium-sized transport aircraft of the Ukrainian company Antonov and the outdated Avro-56M (Avro 748M).
The first task, it is envisaged, will be solved by the jointly developed Russian-Indian MTA (Multirole Transport Aircraft), whereas the replacement of Avro is stuck due to the submission of a single bid for the tender. A proposal for the possible supply of the C295 twin-engine turboprop aircraft was received from a joint venture between Airbus Defense and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited, and was approved by the IPA in India. (Indian Production Agency). However, according to the DPP (Defense Procurement Procedure) procedure for the implementation of defense procurement, if a single bidder participates in the tender, a special cabinet resolution is required to approve his project. If it is received, XXUMUM of military transport aircraft (MTC) C16 will be supplied by Airbus in finished form, and 295 will be built by the Indian partner within eight years from the moment of signing the contract. As the representative of “Erbas” explained to the weekly “Janes”, the European aircraft manufacturer is awaiting a decision on the further conditions of its cooperation with TASL after filing a joint bid for the competition.
According to the Vice-Marshal of Aviation in Manmokhan Bahadur's reserve, it is necessary to have some solutions in the coordination and implementation stage before the decommissioning of the An-32 fleet in 2030's: “Planning must start now, and the proposal for import and licensed production of 56 rather than 40 military transport aircraft could well fill the existing gap by increasing the number of aircraft. This is vital not only to improve the efficiency of transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force for the future, but also to stimulate the domestic aircraft industry in order to reduce dependence on imports. ”
A decision on C295 was originally expected in November last year, but was postponed until February 9 for more information. However February 8th Indian news PTI agency, citing the Ministry of Defense, said that the decision was again postponed. Analysts expect that a decision will nevertheless be made in the near future, and suggest two possible scenarios. According to the first, the tender will be held anew in order to ensure that the main role in the implementation of the program is played by Indian rather than foreign companies. The second option is to suspend this project in favor of speeding up the MTA program.
Meanwhile, the Airbus, in anticipation of a decision on the PTS C295, hopes to clarify the situation with the tanker aircraft in the near future. The European multi-purpose air tanker / transport aircraft A330 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) developed by “Erbas” at the beginning of 2013, defeated Il-78 developed by Ilyushin by a bid of 1,8 – 2 billion dollars. “The situation was such that after the elections and the change of leadership in the Ministry of Defense of India, the procurement process was postponed,” the press secretary of “Erbas” informed. “Naturally, we hope that the contract will be finalized in the near future.”
Training disputes
Disputes about the replacement of imported products with domestically produced equipment also affect training procurement programs for training aircraft (TCB). Although production at HAL UTS Advanced Hawk Mk.132 (Hawk Mk 132) from BAE Systems (BAE Systems) is seen as a great achievement, the Indian corporation has been delaying the design and construction of the Sitara intermediate training center for a long time. ). This affects the training process of Air Force crews who are forced to use the fleet of aging HJT-16 Kiran (Kiran).
In 2018, it is planned to write off Kiran TCB, since it is completely impossible to support the operation of Orpheus engines manufactured by Bristol Siddeley (Bristol Siddeley) with which these aircraft are equipped. “This will force the air force to make changes to the training schedule, eliminating the intermediate training phase,” notes Bhatia. - Accordingly, the flight time will be transferred to the aircraft of the PC-7 basic training and to the Hawk. Bhatia believes the Air Force should abandon the HTT-40, which HAL has been developing for more than five years, promising the first flight before the end of 2015.
The Defense Ministry is trying to resist the Air Force, defending the purchase and construction of the 106 TCB Pilotus PC-7 license in addition to the 75 aircraft that have already been purchased from the Swiss company Pilatus Aircraft in the year 2012 worth a billion dollars. The military department instead insists on approving the development of HTT-40 to compensate for the lack of basic training in 181 TCB.
In turn, the Air Force opposes training on two different types of TCB basic training, reasonably arguing that the cost of their logistics support will be too high. “The development of the HTT-40 should be closed, because it’s just throwing money down the drain,” Bhatia said.
Officers' wives need modernization
The efficiency of the fleet of percussion and heavy transport planes in India is ensured thanks to the deliveries under the FMS program, which is not the case with RSH (Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter) reconnaissance and surveillance vehicles. In 2004, the Ministry of Defense announced a tender for the purchase of RSH helicopters, the results of which were annulled in 2007 due to the negligent selection procedure of the winner. In August, the 2014-st Indian Defense Ministry re-suspended plans to import 197 vehicles, although the qualifying competition between Eurocopter's Fennec AS550 and Euro Koper Ka-226 ended.
According to new orientations, it is planned to build RSH helicopters around 400 licenses in accordance with one of the DPP points - Buy and Make Indian. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense has repeatedly extended in the interests of domestic manufacturers the deadline for submitting responses to an RFI request under the RSH program - first from November 11 to December 23 2014 of the year, and then to February 17.
While high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Defense estimated that the local production of RSH helicopters forms the 6,44 billion dollars worth of work for India’s defense industry and will be in line with Modi’s instructions to reduce dependence on defense imports, the cancellation of the RSH tender means for flights to the pilots of the Air Force and Army Aviation obsolete platforms of the type built under the license of the Chetak helicopters (based on Aluett-3 / Alouette III of Aerospatiale / Aerospatiale) and Cheetah / Cheetah (based on SA315B Lama / Lama) of in 60 and 70-ies.
“The closure of the RSH program (in its original version) will deal a serious blow to ensuring support by helicopters to army formations deployed in the Himalayan regions on the border with China and Pakistan,” said military analyst Lieutenant-General Vijay Kapur.
A negative decision regarding this tender may also have political implications: in November 2014, a group of wives of officers of the Indian Army demanded that the use of old Chetak and Chitakh helicopters be halted due to the high accident rate of these platforms. They claim that over the past two decades, 191 crashed such a machine, killing an 294 officer.
India - its air defense missiles
Like other defense systems, the effectiveness of the Indian air defense system is significantly reduced due to the abolition of domestic development programs and delays in the purchase of defense products produced by the joint venture and foreign companies. One such example is the local industry development program in partnership with the European MBDA anti-aircraft guided missile (SAM), Maitri. Negotiations are underway with the 2007 of the year and in the end the Air Force and the Air Force of India, without waiting for the results, made a choice in favor of the development by the domestic industry of the Akash system of medium range.
The decision on how to overcome the problems of the Maitri program was proposed in July 2014 by then-Minister of Defense Arun Dzheitli French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. In 2013, after six years of negotiations, a memorandum of understanding was signed between MBDA and DRDO, providing for the distribution of the two parties' shares in the planned activities. However, further depends on the approval of the Indian military.
The national air forces placed an order for eight Akash anti-aircraft missile regiments and in the future plan to more than double this number. The ground forces intend to begin to put into operation four regiments.
An MBDA spokesman confirmed the corresponding actions of the Indian armed forces on Akash to the weekly Jaynes. Which, however, does not mean the closure of the Maitri program, he added. “For India, it is important to tick the Buy and Make Indian program for combat capabilities and technology transfer,” explained a spokesman for MBDA.
The Defense Ministry’s decisions are awaited by another key anti-aircraft defense program - the purchase of the VSHORADS short-range portable system in the amount of three to five billion dollars. Under this program, in 2013, field tests of the Mistral complexes (Mistral) developed by MBDA, RBS-70NG of the Saab company (Saab) and Igla-S of the Russian Kolomna mechanical engineering bureau were completed. The decision on the tender is currently suspended due to the US proposal to supply India with the FIM-92 Stinger (Stinger) system from Raytheon under the FMS program.
Pakistani-Chinese respite
The combat capability of the Indian Air Force in the short and medium term will depend entirely on the Modi government’s approach to the procurement of weapons and military equipment. It seems, experts say, that the Ministry of Defense will adhere to a dual policy, encouraging domestic developments and production, but with foreign participation. This point of view is shared by sources in the Western DIC, who told Jaynes that they would be focusing on partnerships with local companies when promoting products to the Indian market.
Since coming to power in May 2014, the Modi government has made two important decisions. The first of these provides for an increase in foreign direct investment in the country to 49 percent in order to increase the attractiveness of the Indian market for foreign leading companies. The second, associated with a pragmatic approach to the procedure of defense procurement, involves the elimination of the threat of foreign producers to the black list for violating the rules for the sale of complex equipment.
This approach includes a proposal to relax the rules for using intermediaries in this area. Many observers believe that local assistance is vital for procurement negotiations. Any attempt to regulate the process will undoubtedly increase industry confidence and may simplify lengthy acquisition procedures.
If Modi manages to demonopolize the production of defense weapons and increase the effectiveness of defense companies and organizations, he will succeed where no Indian government has been able to achieve noticeable results, analysts say. Two factors work at the premiere. The nascent private sector seeks to support the armed forces by eliminating the monopoly of state-owned companies on the supply of defense products. At the moment, the geopolitical situation around India is relatively stable.
Although Indo-Pakistani ties could never be called harmonious, now Islamabad is more concerned about the threat from the Taliban movement, and this means that New Delhi has yet to feel the possible negative strategic consequences of reducing the fleet of fighters if the issue is not resolved positively. Equally, China is still not in a hurry to continue border disputes with India, which gives New Delhi a break and time to improve its defense procurement policy.
According to the rules in force for the procurement of weapons in India, at the first stage of the tender, companies whose proposals do not meet the advanced technical requirements are excluded. The second of the remaining participants forms a short list from which they choose the most attractive offer from a financial point of view.
As the British "Telegraph" reported, citing a source in the Indian Ministry of Defense, Narenda Modi will announce changes to the rules for the procurement of weapons in the near future. “After the Aero India-2015 showroom, these innovations will be included in the procurement policy that Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar is currently preparing,” the source said.
The tenth Aero India-2015 international aerospace show, which opened in Bangalore, will undoubtedly leave a noticeable mark on stories the whole world industry.
First, the exhibition is held a few weeks after the leaders of Russia and the USA visited India - first, in December 2014, Vladimir Putin, then Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and after him, Barack Obama. Secondly, the Bangalore bride for the first time will be held under the slogan "Do it in India", which is proclaimed by the new government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Slow exit from the corkscrew
Moscow and Washington are the main rivals for the delivery of New Delhi military products. According to analysts, Russia seeks to maintain its position as the main supplier. The volume of our country's arms exports to India since the 60-s amounted to at least 45 billions of dollars. More than 60 percent of the main military platforms currently in service with the national armed forces are produced in Russia. However, in recent years, India has sought to diversify suppliers of defense products. As a result, in the 2011 – 2014 period, Washington surpassed Moscow: 5,3 and 4,1 billion dollars, respectively, experts of the weekly Jaynes Defense Weekly say.
“The price of Rafale fighters has already more than doubled compared to the billions of dollars announced at the 10 tender”
Regarding the slogan put forward by Modi, sources in the Western DIC declared “Jaynes”: “Obviously, we have something to offer to the defense market of India, however, the main focus now will be on partnership with Indian firms.”
The combat readiness and fighting capacity of the Indian Air Force is declining, despite the rise to power of the government, which seems ready to make the most radical decisions regarding the acquisition of weapons and military equipment (IWT).
In 2006, the World Air Forces application of the weekly Jayes Defense Weekly JWAF (Jane's World Air Forces) described the Indian Air Force as a competent, knowledge-intensive type of armed forces characterized by a sharp shortage of pilots and a very high percentage of accidents, especially fighters MiG-21.
Aviation the fleet of the Indian Air Force, with the exception of the Su-30MKI, is aging, and measures are being taken to repair, modernize and replace both combat and transport aircraft. The publication writes: “The Indian Air Force operates in a state of constantly changing decisions regarding their structure. At the same time, making optimal decisions is complicated due to political pressure, the influence of past gender corruption scandals, conflicting budget priorities, ongoing problems associated with the development of domestic systems and bureaucratic delays in the framework of tender procedures. ”
Of course, in recent years, much has changed. An internal assessment of the Indian Air Force, conducted in 2014, and published in Jaynes, shows that the combat capability of fleets of combat and transport aircraft and helicopters has averaged 60 percent over the previous three years. At the same time, as studies have shown, the fleet of combat aircraft had the lowest level of operational readiness - 55 percent, helicopters - 62 percent, and training and training (TCB) and air transport vehicles - 65 percent. According to the study, this situation is primarily due to delays in the implementation of the procurement programs of the Ministry of Defense and the poor state of maintenance and support for the operation of aircraft platforms by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited).
The parliamentary defense committee is confident that the defense ministry has failed to ensure the condition of the air force that is required by India. A number of reports published at the end of December last year point to a constant budget deficit, its negative impact on the combat capability and combat readiness of the Air Force.
The parliament is particularly discontent with the inadequate management of the Air Force parks by the Ministry of Defense. Stressing that the squadron strength is currently only 34 units instead of the envisaged 42, the committee said that the current situation is due to the lack of predictive planning. As concerns were highlighted, in particular, the program of the multifunctional mid-range fighter MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) and light combat aircraft LCA (Light Combat Aircraft).
LCA program
LCA, or Tejas, is a program for the development and production of a native Indian light fighter that started in the middle of the 80s. The first serial "Tejas" in the Mk.1 version was transferred to the Indian Air Force a month ago - after 32 a year since the program began.
In February, 2014, the Ministry of Defense, stated that the backlog of the LCA program was one of the main reasons why the Air Force’s capacity buildup was inhibited, and “Tedzhas” certification was postponed due to problems with developing critical aircraft systems.
Unsatisfied with such a report, the parliamentary committee announced that this way was illustrated by the negligent and heartless ministry's approach to increasing the effectiveness of air force squadrons. LCA lag is a symptom of what Narendra Modi described in August 2014 as a chalta hai, or careless attitude. “In India, there is no shortage of scientific talents and opportunities, but it is precisely the careless attitude towards their duties that puts an end to all undertakings,” said the Premier at a specialized event at the headquarters of the Defense Research and Development Organization in New -Delhi.
“The world will not wait for us,” he continued. - We have to run ahead of time. We should not say that the project that started in 1992 will be completed in some time. Taking into account the rapid development of military equipment in the world, India cannot afford to refine the systems that are already two steps behind what will be on the market in the near future. ”
The single-seat light fighter LCA reached initial combat readiness only in December 2013 - two years later than planned. Constant delays in the program forced the Air Force to extend the life of the MiG-21, which were to be replaced by LCA./p>
According to HAL, six serial LCAs will be built by 2016, in the future it is planned to achieve an annual production rate in 16 units. According to the calculations of the management of the corporation, the delivery of two air squadrons on 20 fighters "Tejas" Mk.1 in each will be completed by 2018 year. The first of these will initially be based in Bangalore to allow HAL to quickly resolve emerging technical issues. Subsequently, this squadron will be relocated to a permanent location in Sulur, 350 kilometers from the city of Coimbatore in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
In general, the HAL and the Aeronautical Development Agency's ADD Aeronautical Development Agency DRDO have so far spent 1,33 a billion dollars on the development of an LCA. Starting from 1983, when the program started, 16 of TJAS M.1 aircraft was built: two technology demonstrators, three experimental fighters, two LCA in training version, seven products in the framework of small-scale production and two prototypes of the deck version.
Although the construction of the first production model is a great achievement, officials do not deny that the aircraft does not meet the requirements of the Air Force and is a temporary replacement. The lack of engine power in 80 – 85 kN limits the composition of weapons, the fighter is not equipped with electronic warfare.
In addition, LCA will not be able to strike with long-range missiles and hit air targets beyond visual visibility, since the integration of the weapon system is still ongoing. And the equipment for air refueling LCA Mk.1 will receive only when it reaches full combat readiness.
Many have questioned the statement of the former HAL president R.K. Tyagi that 60 is a percent of the components and systems of LCAs of local development and production. In any case, General Electric's F404-GE-IN20 engines, weapons and many other elements of the fighter are imported.
Today, the Air Force is pinning its hopes on the LCA Mk.2, which is supposed to be equipped with a more powerful GE-414 engine and is expected to be ready for mass production in 2019 – 2020.
Meanwhile, on the eve of the opening of the cabin from the factory airfield of HAL Corporation in Bangalore, the second prototype NP2 (Navy Prototype) of the LCA aircraft in the naval version - LCA-N - took to the air. And earlier, December 20 prototype NP1 made a springboard take-off at the test site in Goa. These two events marked important steps in the implementation of the Indian LCA-N program, aimed at developing technologies that provide the possibility of using the aircraft from the ship, including landing using aerofinisers and springboard taking off. India is now one of the three countries with a testing ground for naval aviation and a world six capable of developing ship-based aircraft.
MMRCA program
The initial tender, opened in 2007, provides for the acquisition and licensed production of 126 aircraft in India. At the beginning of 2012, the winner of this tender was the company Dassault (Dassault) with the Rafale fighter (Rafale).
However, recently, Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar suggested that the Indian military might acquire an additional number of multi-functional Su-30MKI fighter jets instead of continuing ongoing contractual negotiations with Dassault regarding the licensed production of 108 Rafale at HAL facilities in Bangalore. This proposal was supported by a number of senior representatives of the Ministry of Defense, one of whom said that the final decision on Rafale fighters should be taken by New Delhi before Modi’s official visit to France and Germany, scheduled for April.
"The Defense Ministry insists that the actions of" Dassault "not contradict the conditions of the tender 2007 of the year, including the requirements of the Air Force to the aircraft MMRCA", - said one of the senior representatives of this type of troops. A substantial part of these requirements includes Dassault’s obligation to organize Rafale’s licensed production at HAL enterprises. “The reluctance of Dassault to take responsibility for this part of the tender conditions, including quality control, delivery times and an early assessment of losses, may well lead to the elimination of the tender results,” he added.
The French aircraft manufacturer explains his protests regarding the fulfillment of customer requirements by the fact that he does not have administrative levers on HAL, which, as has been repeatedly mentioned in parliamentary reports and complaints from Air Force representatives, often disrupts production schedules and overspend funds on many projects.
The head of the General Directorate of Armaments at the French Ministry of Defense, Laurent Colle-Beyon 11, explained in February: Dassault refused to extend warranty service to Rafale fighters, which will be manufactured under license in India. This should not cause additional difficulties, since these conditions were not specified in the request for a commercial offer before the relevant tender was held in India. ”
France allegedly insists on increasing the cost of these aircraft in the event that it is decided to service them by the specialists of the manufacturer. Meanwhile, the price of fighters has already more than doubled compared to the billions of dollars announced during the tender 10.
The Indian Air Force, despite all these problems, still believes that the Rafale fighter program must be implemented. Vice-Marshal of Aviation Manmohan Bahadur from the Air Force Research Center in New Delhi shows “cautious optimism” about the purchase of “Rafaley” and does not support the recent proposal of the Minister of Defense Parrikar for additional purchases of Su-30MKI instead of French fighters: “ Regular commanders of aviation persuaded the government to make a decision on the purchase of Rafale, this choice was made after a comprehensive professional assessment, which did not cause any contradictions. ”
Bahadur believes that significant technological differences between the French platform and Su-30MKI determine the operational need for the acquisition of Rafale. He admitted that the cost of the Su-30MKI, built under license, which is 59,66 million, is about half as much. But he drew attention to the extremely high cost of operating aircraft developed by Sukhoi, which require expanded and expensive parking places. A more economical French fighter in operation and maintenance also has a technical advantage over the Su-30MKI, since it is equipped with an onboard radar station (BRLS) with an active phased antenna array (AFAR), and in addition, it has an effective scattering surface.
Another advantage of "Rafal", according to Indian experts, is that it is a single platform, whereas Su-30 requires a crew of two people. “Acquiring an additional quantity of Su-30МКИ will definitely require training an increased number of pilots compared to the acquisition of Rafale, with enormous expenditures,” said Bahadur.
Air Force Marshal Jimmy Bhatia, a military analyst, also believes that Rafale is more important for improving the combat capability of the Indian Air Force, as this platform provides improved processing of complex data and increased situational awareness: Rafali is urgently needed to fill the gap formed after the cancellation of fighters MiG-21 and MiG-27, and get the opportunities that Su-30MKI does not possess. It is necessary to consider the operational properties and the cost of the life cycle, as well as some other advantages of this platform. Delays in the LCA program require the speedy signing of a contract and the start of the supply of French fighters. ”
FGFA program
During the visit to India of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the parties agreed to speed up work on the creation of the fifth generation FGFA (Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft) fighter, jointly developed by Sukhoi and HAL based on the PAK FA platform (a promising front-line aviation complex) or T- 50 Russian Air Force.
“The tender for the purchase of reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters was canceled due to the negligent selection procedure of the winner”
Under this program, worth 11 billions of dollars, New Delhi allocates 295 millions to develop a blueprint. According to current plans, HAL will build 2020 – 2022 FGFA planes for the total amount of 130 billions of dollars for 145 – 30 years. Representatives of the Indian Air Force stipulate that this number may increase significantly, taking into account China’s development of fifth-generation fighter jets J-20 and J-31, the last of which may go into service with Pakistan’s aviation.
In 2014, the work on the FGFA program was practically not promoted, since the partners clarified a number of controversial issues. 10 in January, the world media, with reference to the regional director for international cooperation of the United Aircraft Building Corporation (UAC), Andrey Marshankin, reported that Russia and India have agreed on the draft design of the FGFA fighter. According to the UAC representative, there is already documentation and an understanding of the volume of the next design stage, the scale of the future mass production. Marshankin did not disclose any other details. In particular, the question has not cleared up in which configuration the FGFA conceptual design has been agreed - single or double.
It was previously believed that although the Indian Air Force traditionally preferred airplanes operated by two pilots, they would remove this requirement for the FGFA, since the Russian side requested a billion dollars for the development of the two-seat version (this option would differ significantly from the PAK FA, which could be taken as the basis of the FGFA ). At Aero India-2013, for example, only a single model of a joint fighter was presented.
During the visit to India of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the parties agreed to speed up work on the creation of a fifth-generation fighter. Photo: ITAR-TASS
Nothing is known about the engine. India has consistently insisted on equipping FGFA with the Russian AL-41Ф1 (or “117 product”) developed for the PAK FA, and on providing a level of stealth and weapons capabilities similar to that of the T-50. In addition, New Delhi is demanding a higher share of its participation in the program after Moscow unilaterally reduced it from 25 to 13 percent. India is trying to gain wider access to fighter design, says Jaynes.
Nevertheless, military analyst Marshal Aviation Jimmy Bhatia believes, the listed issues are unlikely to frustrate the program: “As in a number of other Indian-Russian defense deals, eventually all problems will be resolved in bilateral negotiations. The Indian Air Force has no choice other than FGFA for mastering stealth technology. With all the possible shortcomings, only the Russians will be able to provide us with these technologies, and no one else. ”
Less traffic problems
While the fleet of combat aircraft of the Indian Air Force can only be called partially effective, the situation with transport platforms is much better. This is largely due to the choice in favor of the US Military Assistance Program for Foreign States (FMS (Foreign Military Sales)) and the improvement of the strategic partnership between Washington and New Delhi.
Back in the middle of 2000, relations between the two countries left much to be desired. The Pentagon’s General Evaluation Office has published a report stating that in the area of military cooperation there is a steady and in some cases deep distrust as a result of the Cold War and India’s close ties with the Soviet Union. In the US, they hoped to overcome the negative through a special campaign launched at the Aero India-2003 air show two years after the lifting of the sanctions announced by Washington against New Delhi for conducting nuclear tests in 1998. The efforts made led to negotiations on the possible supply by the Indian Air Force of P-3C Orion (Orion) naval patrol aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin and C-130 transport aircraft. The sale of C-130 (at the initial stage of the negotiations of six, and in the process of negotiating 12 machines) was settled in the 2008 year. And the potential contract for the P-3C was replaced by the export to India of the MPS P-8I “Neptune” (Neptune) produced by “Boeing” (Boeing). It was the first foreign delivery of this type of aircraft, which significantly increased the capabilities of the Indian Navy.
In addition to the C-130 (the cost of the first six platforms - 962 million dollars), the Air Force also purchased Boeing’s X-NUMX X-NUMX X-NUMX heavy transport X-NUMX 10 heavy transport vehicles. The parties are currently negotiating X-NUMX heavy CH-17F “Chinook” transport helicopters, as well as AH-3E “Apache” (Apache) 4,1 drums, which won the Indian tender in October of 15-nd.
After C-130 and C-17 filled the corresponding niche in the national air force park (the first five C-130 are used by special forces, one is lost in an accident in 2014), India launched two ambitious programs to replace the modernized 105 fleet An-32 medium-sized transport aircraft of the Ukrainian company Antonov and the outdated Avro-56M (Avro 748M).
The first task, it is envisaged, will be solved by the jointly developed Russian-Indian MTA (Multirole Transport Aircraft), whereas the replacement of Avro is stuck due to the submission of a single bid for the tender. A proposal for the possible supply of the C295 twin-engine turboprop aircraft was received from a joint venture between Airbus Defense and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited, and was approved by the IPA in India. (Indian Production Agency). However, according to the DPP (Defense Procurement Procedure) procedure for the implementation of defense procurement, if a single bidder participates in the tender, a special cabinet resolution is required to approve his project. If it is received, XXUMUM of military transport aircraft (MTC) C16 will be supplied by Airbus in finished form, and 295 will be built by the Indian partner within eight years from the moment of signing the contract. As the representative of “Erbas” explained to the weekly “Janes”, the European aircraft manufacturer is awaiting a decision on the further conditions of its cooperation with TASL after filing a joint bid for the competition.
According to the Vice-Marshal of Aviation in Manmokhan Bahadur's reserve, it is necessary to have some solutions in the coordination and implementation stage before the decommissioning of the An-32 fleet in 2030's: “Planning must start now, and the proposal for import and licensed production of 56 rather than 40 military transport aircraft could well fill the existing gap by increasing the number of aircraft. This is vital not only to improve the efficiency of transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force for the future, but also to stimulate the domestic aircraft industry in order to reduce dependence on imports. ”
A decision on C295 was originally expected in November last year, but was postponed until February 9 for more information. However February 8th Indian news PTI agency, citing the Ministry of Defense, said that the decision was again postponed. Analysts expect that a decision will nevertheless be made in the near future, and suggest two possible scenarios. According to the first, the tender will be held anew in order to ensure that the main role in the implementation of the program is played by Indian rather than foreign companies. The second option is to suspend this project in favor of speeding up the MTA program.
Meanwhile, the Airbus, in anticipation of a decision on the PTS C295, hopes to clarify the situation with the tanker aircraft in the near future. The European multi-purpose air tanker / transport aircraft A330 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) developed by “Erbas” at the beginning of 2013, defeated Il-78 developed by Ilyushin by a bid of 1,8 – 2 billion dollars. “The situation was such that after the elections and the change of leadership in the Ministry of Defense of India, the procurement process was postponed,” the press secretary of “Erbas” informed. “Naturally, we hope that the contract will be finalized in the near future.”
Training disputes
Disputes about the replacement of imported products with domestically produced equipment also affect training procurement programs for training aircraft (TCB). Although production at HAL UTS Advanced Hawk Mk.132 (Hawk Mk 132) from BAE Systems (BAE Systems) is seen as a great achievement, the Indian corporation has been delaying the design and construction of the Sitara intermediate training center for a long time. ). This affects the training process of Air Force crews who are forced to use the fleet of aging HJT-16 Kiran (Kiran).
In 2018, it is planned to write off Kiran TCB, since it is completely impossible to support the operation of Orpheus engines manufactured by Bristol Siddeley (Bristol Siddeley) with which these aircraft are equipped. “This will force the air force to make changes to the training schedule, eliminating the intermediate training phase,” notes Bhatia. - Accordingly, the flight time will be transferred to the aircraft of the PC-7 basic training and to the Hawk. Bhatia believes the Air Force should abandon the HTT-40, which HAL has been developing for more than five years, promising the first flight before the end of 2015.
The Defense Ministry is trying to resist the Air Force, defending the purchase and construction of the 106 TCB Pilotus PC-7 license in addition to the 75 aircraft that have already been purchased from the Swiss company Pilatus Aircraft in the year 2012 worth a billion dollars. The military department instead insists on approving the development of HTT-40 to compensate for the lack of basic training in 181 TCB.
In turn, the Air Force opposes training on two different types of TCB basic training, reasonably arguing that the cost of their logistics support will be too high. “The development of the HTT-40 should be closed, because it’s just throwing money down the drain,” Bhatia said.
Officers' wives need modernization
The efficiency of the fleet of percussion and heavy transport planes in India is ensured thanks to the deliveries under the FMS program, which is not the case with RSH (Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter) reconnaissance and surveillance vehicles. In 2004, the Ministry of Defense announced a tender for the purchase of RSH helicopters, the results of which were annulled in 2007 due to the negligent selection procedure of the winner. In August, the 2014-st Indian Defense Ministry re-suspended plans to import 197 vehicles, although the qualifying competition between Eurocopter's Fennec AS550 and Euro Koper Ka-226 ended.
According to new orientations, it is planned to build RSH helicopters around 400 licenses in accordance with one of the DPP points - Buy and Make Indian. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense has repeatedly extended in the interests of domestic manufacturers the deadline for submitting responses to an RFI request under the RSH program - first from November 11 to December 23 2014 of the year, and then to February 17.
While high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Defense estimated that the local production of RSH helicopters forms the 6,44 billion dollars worth of work for India’s defense industry and will be in line with Modi’s instructions to reduce dependence on defense imports, the cancellation of the RSH tender means for flights to the pilots of the Air Force and Army Aviation obsolete platforms of the type built under the license of the Chetak helicopters (based on Aluett-3 / Alouette III of Aerospatiale / Aerospatiale) and Cheetah / Cheetah (based on SA315B Lama / Lama) of in 60 and 70-ies.
“The closure of the RSH program (in its original version) will deal a serious blow to ensuring support by helicopters to army formations deployed in the Himalayan regions on the border with China and Pakistan,” said military analyst Lieutenant-General Vijay Kapur.
A negative decision regarding this tender may also have political implications: in November 2014, a group of wives of officers of the Indian Army demanded that the use of old Chetak and Chitakh helicopters be halted due to the high accident rate of these platforms. They claim that over the past two decades, 191 crashed such a machine, killing an 294 officer.
India - its air defense missiles
Like other defense systems, the effectiveness of the Indian air defense system is significantly reduced due to the abolition of domestic development programs and delays in the purchase of defense products produced by the joint venture and foreign companies. One such example is the local industry development program in partnership with the European MBDA anti-aircraft guided missile (SAM), Maitri. Negotiations are underway with the 2007 of the year and in the end the Air Force and the Air Force of India, without waiting for the results, made a choice in favor of the development by the domestic industry of the Akash system of medium range.
The decision on how to overcome the problems of the Maitri program was proposed in July 2014 by then-Minister of Defense Arun Dzheitli French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. In 2013, after six years of negotiations, a memorandum of understanding was signed between MBDA and DRDO, providing for the distribution of the two parties' shares in the planned activities. However, further depends on the approval of the Indian military.
The national air forces placed an order for eight Akash anti-aircraft missile regiments and in the future plan to more than double this number. The ground forces intend to begin to put into operation four regiments.
An MBDA spokesman confirmed the corresponding actions of the Indian armed forces on Akash to the weekly Jaynes. Which, however, does not mean the closure of the Maitri program, he added. “For India, it is important to tick the Buy and Make Indian program for combat capabilities and technology transfer,” explained a spokesman for MBDA.
The Defense Ministry’s decisions are awaited by another key anti-aircraft defense program - the purchase of the VSHORADS short-range portable system in the amount of three to five billion dollars. Under this program, in 2013, field tests of the Mistral complexes (Mistral) developed by MBDA, RBS-70NG of the Saab company (Saab) and Igla-S of the Russian Kolomna mechanical engineering bureau were completed. The decision on the tender is currently suspended due to the US proposal to supply India with the FIM-92 Stinger (Stinger) system from Raytheon under the FMS program.
Pakistani-Chinese respite
The combat capability of the Indian Air Force in the short and medium term will depend entirely on the Modi government’s approach to the procurement of weapons and military equipment. It seems, experts say, that the Ministry of Defense will adhere to a dual policy, encouraging domestic developments and production, but with foreign participation. This point of view is shared by sources in the Western DIC, who told Jaynes that they would be focusing on partnerships with local companies when promoting products to the Indian market.
Since coming to power in May 2014, the Modi government has made two important decisions. The first of these provides for an increase in foreign direct investment in the country to 49 percent in order to increase the attractiveness of the Indian market for foreign leading companies. The second, associated with a pragmatic approach to the procedure of defense procurement, involves the elimination of the threat of foreign producers to the black list for violating the rules for the sale of complex equipment.
This approach includes a proposal to relax the rules for using intermediaries in this area. Many observers believe that local assistance is vital for procurement negotiations. Any attempt to regulate the process will undoubtedly increase industry confidence and may simplify lengthy acquisition procedures.
If Modi manages to demonopolize the production of defense weapons and increase the effectiveness of defense companies and organizations, he will succeed where no Indian government has been able to achieve noticeable results, analysts say. Two factors work at the premiere. The nascent private sector seeks to support the armed forces by eliminating the monopoly of state-owned companies on the supply of defense products. At the moment, the geopolitical situation around India is relatively stable.
Although Indo-Pakistani ties could never be called harmonious, now Islamabad is more concerned about the threat from the Taliban movement, and this means that New Delhi has yet to feel the possible negative strategic consequences of reducing the fleet of fighters if the issue is not resolved positively. Equally, China is still not in a hurry to continue border disputes with India, which gives New Delhi a break and time to improve its defense procurement policy.
According to the rules in force for the procurement of weapons in India, at the first stage of the tender, companies whose proposals do not meet the advanced technical requirements are excluded. The second of the remaining participants forms a short list from which they choose the most attractive offer from a financial point of view.
As the British "Telegraph" reported, citing a source in the Indian Ministry of Defense, Narenda Modi will announce changes to the rules for the procurement of weapons in the near future. “After the Aero India-2015 showroom, these innovations will be included in the procurement policy that Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar is currently preparing,” the source said.
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