EagleOne
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England (Reuters) - Eurofighter is embarking on a self-funded investment in an advanced radar to boost export chances for the multinational combat jet.
The fighter consortium -- comprising BAE Systems, Italian company Finmeccanica, and EADS which represents Germany and Spain -- said on Tuesday it aimed to have the so-called E-scan radar on the multirole aircraft by 2015.
The move and timing were designed to position the European plane for a contest to supply 126 fighter jets to India, one of the world's most sought-after defence deals.
The decision to invest in a radar without up-front government funding, which is more common in defence projects, comes amid heavy pressure on European defence spending.
The plane's manufacturers are already pressing their four host nations -- Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain -- to commit to buying more than 100 planes still to be confirmed from an originally planned production run of 600.
But defence companies are increasingly resigned to a reduction in planned volumes for domestic air forces and are gearing up for more exports, sources close to the project said.
The $12 billion (7.9 billion pound) Indian tender, which could be formally launched next year, is in one of the most hotly contested international defence markets, attracting bidders from the United States, Russia and Europe
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE66J19320100720
The fighter consortium -- comprising BAE Systems, Italian company Finmeccanica, and EADS which represents Germany and Spain -- said on Tuesday it aimed to have the so-called E-scan radar on the multirole aircraft by 2015.
The move and timing were designed to position the European plane for a contest to supply 126 fighter jets to India, one of the world's most sought-after defence deals.
The decision to invest in a radar without up-front government funding, which is more common in defence projects, comes amid heavy pressure on European defence spending.
The plane's manufacturers are already pressing their four host nations -- Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain -- to commit to buying more than 100 planes still to be confirmed from an originally planned production run of 600.
But defence companies are increasingly resigned to a reduction in planned volumes for domestic air forces and are gearing up for more exports, sources close to the project said.
The $12 billion (7.9 billion pound) Indian tender, which could be formally launched next year, is in one of the most hotly contested international defence markets, attracting bidders from the United States, Russia and Europe
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE66J19320100720
