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Boeing and Tata begin construction of new AH-64 plant
Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) have begun construction of a new production facility for the AH-64 Apache in Hyderabad. India’s defence minister, Manohar Parrikar, laid the foundation stone of the new facility, which is being built in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Adibatla.
The facility will manufacture AH-64 fuselages and other airframe components, not only for India, which has 22 AH-64E Guardian Apaches on order, but for Boeing’s global supply-chain as well. In other words, India will be the source of Apache fuselages for all Apache users. TASL also manufactures parts for CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift and AH-6i lightweight utility helicopters.
Comment and Analysis
This is a landmark event for India’s private defence sector, and TASL in particular. Gradually, but surely, commercial offsets are serving a critical role in strengthening the capacity and raising the prominence of India’s private industry. Not only that, but the likes of Boeing – and potentially others from Europe – are viewing India as not only a market for their goods, but an asset as a means to improve competitiveness. India’s private sector is becoming the means to control costs and improve efficiency.
14 Comments
by Quraishi
Pakistan need a breakthrough somewhere, somehow, the way india is advancing it will soon be impossible to have any suitable deterrence at all.
Pakistan need to spend more on air force, and navy, as with the population of 200 million, it will be impossible for anyone to take conquer and take hold of the country, so with this factor that didnt exists 40 years ago thus spending on the army should be diverted more to navy and air force. After seeing what happened in Iran and Afghanistan, its unlikely that anyone will send a conquering force into Pakistan.
by Syed
Agree with ya on that one.we can learn from India on private industry doing the job
by MT
TASL needs to ramp up the value chain with more R&D investment in avionics,radar while focusing on high end materials for AMCA- 5th gen stealth technology. They have recently gained some expertise in building radome with close co-operation from Cobham UK while they have been supplying composites for Tejas & have close partnership with DRDO labs in manufacturing missiles & launchers(Prahaar,Pinaka,MRSAM,LRSAM).
Indian govt needs to speed up decision making on Airbus C295 platform. With lackluster performance of HAL: It makes sense for Indian pvt sector & tata to build civilian aircraft with close co-operation of Western companies.
I rate TASL very high in material science but they require more partnership and expertise in electronics to develop into a full fledged aeronautical company
The Indian 30% offset deals in defense are boon for Tata but they need to tie up French companies as there are more chances of technology transfer.
Tata, Mahindra, L&T are poised to be top 3 defense companies in India. L&T being the biggest of all has expertise in almost every sector including automation, transmission, radars, avionics, fuselage, civil nuclear reactors, nuclear submarines,ships while Tata, Mahindra are good in aviation sector, engine,infantry vehicles & automation/control system.
There are few companies with great expertise in making AESA T/R modules, active homing radars & software based radar but most of them receive the IP from DRDO labs.
Tata makes steel, software, chemical, jaugar land rover,daewoo buses/trucks & military vehicles including the future inventory combat vehicles. They are the only Indian companies who spend approx 2.75% on their funds on R&D which is approximately 3 bill$
Tata have good presence in UK so it will be good for them to tie up with British companies and invest in R&D for high end military platform
by Bilal Khan - Quwa
Wouldn’t it make sense for TASL to hone in on aerostructures manufacturing, and in turn, leave the electronics space to another focused company? L&T is a multinational with immense fiscal depth and experience across all those sectors, but from what I can see, the successful Indian private companies rose on specialization, which gave them efficiency.
by MT
Tasl is a specialised unit of Tata focused on aerospace structure,composites,radome,pods & fuel refilling probes,f insas platform. They are supported by drdo labs & national aeronautical laboratory but they seem to publish quality research & patents in core material science
They have another company named tata sed: strategic engg division which have good product pipelines for sensors,ISR;weapon system & electronic warfare
They r investing huge in tanks,combat infantry vehicles;small missiles
Tata & l&t both are very generic companies. They have huge manufacturing capabilities right from rig machine to small precision equip but india does have many specialist companies for niche capacity in specific areas
For eg.
Aesa radar,seekers are designed/manufactured by astra microwave small company with revenue of 50~60mill $
Bharatforge a mega bill $ company is into all kinds of forging,precision engineering including new engine manufacturing deals with rolls royce
Kirloskar is another big shot with deep exercise in pump,motor manufacturing
by Bilal Khan - Quwa
How do you expect foreign offsets will affect some of India’s smaller private sector companies? For example, if I am an R&D bureau with limited industrial means, what is to stop me from being bought out and turned into a Thales or IAI subsidiary? Is the government placing restrictions on this, or are they going free market?
by RIZWAN CHOHAN
This is American hypocrisy… call Pakistan an ally in war on terror. and arm India with all latest technology. Indians are getting immense….apache & chinook production lines… & now soon will get f-16 block-70 or f-18 super hornet production line.
Today Indians are trolling Pakistanis on twitter with their pslv launching 20 satellites. where are we?
by MT
India doesnt make policy taking pakistan into account. India simply wants to develop the aeronautical industry. So It will make deals with Lockheed martin, Boeing, Dassault or Saab Sweden if they are ready to manufacture the aircraft with in India
by MT
Israel, US are among countries that offer little transfer of technologies.
The deals were stuck for 18 months bcoz Israel was reluctant to offer technology after having won the tender on the promised RFP.
Anti tank missiles, Barak8 SAM will be mainly 50-60% Israeli in origin. India will be making fuselage, engine, actuators,INS & basic electronics while Israeli aeospace/rafael Israel will provide sensors, seekers, thrust vectoring, software & guidance system, AESA radars!
Russian, French, British are trusted partners of India as they are more open minded in technology transfer
by MT
I dont think that US & PAk are allies be on asian pivot, economy, afghanistan mess or democracy!
1. PAk & China have different interests. Eventhough US is still very sympathetic towards Pak having donated 7-8 bill$ free weapons in last 14 yrs & other 30 bill$in civil+ military aid despite Pak shielding taliban/haqqani network who are hurting american interests in region
2. India on the contrary are paying for the weapons, technology from their pocket.
3. India & US both want end of all kinds of terrorism in afghanistan & region while pak is scared of Indian soft power in afghanistan
4. Lots of lies peddled by Pakistan as mentioned by US -eg 24 Indian consulates in afghanistan show failure of reactive one dimensional foreign policy of pAkistan which shows inability of pakistan to compete with India diplomacy,economic aid & support to Afghani people!
Source: “Mr Olson, who was the US Ambassador to Pakistan before taking up his present assignment, was asked to comment on the perception in Pakistan that India had set up 24 consulates in Afghanistan, some close to the Pakistani border.
There were only “four Indian consulates in Afghanistan”, said the US envoy while explaining how the perceived Indian threat was exaggerated in Pakistan.”
5. Anyways, US havent stopped any weapons sale to Pakistan–All it wants is to be paid in full amount as US Pak have divergent interests in region
India have indigenous missile & space program: which are non existent in pakistan!
Integration of imported sub system by NESCOM dont make Pakistan a true missile producer
by MT
Pak doesnt compete with India in military industry.. Pak has been able to buy weapons mostly from American aid, FMS & some of it came from Chinese subsidized program to contain India
But if you set aside US aid from near future:Pak will be going to lag behind in almost every sector of defense
1. Pak have no credible missile, space & satellites program
2. Pak nuclear industry arent matured. Despite being largest nuke producer/year; Pak cant even build plutonium processing reactors needed for bombs– Khusbab reactors are/were all build with chinese design & components
3. Does Pakistan have a submarine construction plan?
=> No capability to build conventioanl and nuclear submarine
4. Can Pakistan make carriers and other large warships
=> Still dependent on china and turks for frigates while destroyers are still out of range for turks so you may have to wait a decade for that! Carrier is something 2 decade away for turks– So pak will have to wait longer
5. Does Pakistan have a massive mil-industrial complex?
=> Dont see any local Radar, seekers, composite, SAM/AAM/BVRAAM, ATGM??
6. Can Pakistan ever plan to have multiple fighter jet production lines?
7. Does Pakistan have any multiple hypersonic programs?
=> India have 2 scramjet programs with working prototypes. Testing scheduled this year
So there is no comparison of Pak with India- With 8-9 times smaller economy and widening gap & reduced military aid flow from US ; Pak will have to squeeze its social sector to maintain conventional deterrence
=>>>Pakistan is probably only head of India in making nukes as India doesnt prioritize mass production of plutonium bombs and is more focused towards breeder, thorium reactor energy program!
by Quraishi
Its not that Pakistan doesnt compete with india in military industry, its more like a good way to keep ones face when u cannot out compete them, like just say oh we never competed. A good way to understand the reality is with this simple Q:
If india did not had military as it does with its expansion plan, will pakistan be developing its military industry the same way, and the answer is a clear ‘NO’ so saying that pakistan doesnt compete is kinda like not accepting the reality.
Oh i wrote so much , but it all got deleted, im not writing again.
bottom line,
u cannot do anything without a strong economy,
and u just listed facts, now what? how does this solve anything
by MT
In words of Albert Einstein, Pak policy is nothing short of Insanity which is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Pakistan doesnt need to compete if it quits its expansionist policy against India. India is status quo power. China holds more than 40000 SQKM of Indian land but India didnt wage buddhist jihad with help of tibetans to bleed china with 1000 cuts
Sartaz aziz beautifully describes the basis of pakistan: which is to check rise of India & continue to behave like a security state.
That’s why Pak sees NSG from weapons perspective despite having 4 plutonium bomb reactors in contrast to 1 for India while India wants the membership to sell its nuclear reactors & be recognized as regional power
by Ashi Sidhu
no big deal anyone can make fuselages