These changes are skewed to favor and encourage defense industry in India, some of which appear to have been influenced by reactions to corruption scandals. Do have a look at the list of changes, copied and pasted, verbatim, from the defense ministry press release.
Shruti Pushkarna puts together a graphic representation of the process of selection of the AgustaWestland AW101 helicopter by the Indian Air Force (IAF), on the basis of the White Paper issued by the defense ministry on Thursday.
Blacklisting is the politician’s response to cop out of responsibility for ensuring a corruption free defense acquisition process, that serves no purpose for either the Indian armed forces or the taxpayer, and is effectively the application of rules that govern the PWD (Public Works Department).
In an unprecedented move, the Indian Army has posted out all the officers of the Technical Support Division, leaving the controversial intelligence unit without any leadership after year-long allegations of unauthorized phone taps and financial impropriety.
The defense ministry has issued a Letter of Request to the US Government for the procurement of 145 pieces of M777 light howitzers, manufactured by BAE Systems.
The program was for the procurement of 56 aircraft of which 16 would be delivered off the shelf by a foreign manufacturer and 40 were to have been manufactured in India. Indian industry has found the order to be too small to justify the capital expenditure.
Although the case for the acquisition of the two single-engine trainers is still at a preliminary stage, the IAF is ‘desirous’ of getting their ‘numbers up from 49 to 51′ again and is planning to make a pitch for the aircraft to the Ministry of Defense.
A recent French media report offers insight into the French position in the negotiations with the Indian defense ministry on the MMRCA fighter aircraft purchase by the IAF. Here’s an edited translation of the report and an analysis of what it could mean.
The deal for the purchase of 12 AgustaWestland AW 101 helicopters for VIP transportation is under scrutiny by the Indian defense ministry after reports surfaced that the company may have employed agents to facilitate the contract.
This, first of a two-part analysis, examines the MMRCA process and invites you to draw your conclusions as to the veracity of the claims of transparency and adherence to the rule book.
