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Power to LCA [Dec 09 www.forceindia.net]
FORCE - A Complete News Magazine on National Security - Defence Magazine
Selling is an art. And managing director, Eurojet, Hartmut J. Tenter understands this very well. In India recently to reply to the RFP issued by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for a new engine for the Light Combat Aircraft, Tenter’s sales pitch during an interactive session with the media revolved as much around facts as clever rhetoric. After all, you don’t need a managing director to tell you how good the product is. He has to tell you why you need it, and that is what Tenter did with great flourish.
Reason number one:
LCA is a young aircraft and EJ200 is a young engine. “You can’t marry your young daughter to an old man,” he chuckled referring to the GE engine that powers the current LCA. He refused to comment on his rival, the GE engine, saying it is unethical to do so, but he allowed others to speculate on what were the advantages of his product. Someone said that EJ200 was 20 years younger than the GE engine and hence has the advantage of the new generation and Tenter shrugged. Yet another journalist pointed out that that the GE engine is bigger in diameter and is heavier than the Eurojet one and Tenter smiled. If this is not the art of selling, what is?
Reason number two:
EJ200 also powers the Eurofighter. Hence, if ADA chooses the Eurojet engine now and the Indian Air Force selects the Eurofighter later, there will be a commonality of engines. Not only will MRO become easier, there will be greater interoperability in the IAF’s fleet. “I have a feeling,” said Tenter, “ADA would not like the IAF to select a single engine fighter, as that would rival LCA.”
All this speculation apart, Tenter insisted that he is confident that the Eurojet bid is compliant. “Ours is the most modern engine and we have already delivered 650 to six nations, including four core Eurofighter partner countries. In addition to that, we have also supplied engines to Saudi Arabia and Austria,” he said. According to Tenter, with all these countries, Eurojet has forged a deep partnership, and this is what it will seek with India. “I do not believe in making promises, but in a commitment,” he said, adding, “we have given comprehensive details to ADA about how we will go about our partnership with them. It is true that partnership means effort, but if you make the effort, you get better results. And when I use the word partnership, I am doing so fully aware that it implies working together on problems and ironing them out… removing the chinks, so to speak.” To realise this dream, Tenter is confident of harnessing India’s capability in the areas of computer engineering and technology.
ADA has floated the RFP for 99 engines as of now for the Mk I version of the LCA with the option of 49 more. Tenter said that the RFP stipulates 30 per cent offsets, which is not a big issue with them. However, what is more important is transfer of technology. Hence, Tenter’s roadmap stipulates joint-development and not just joint-production. Eurojet is already working on thrust-vectoring and would be able to put the thrust vectoring nozzle when required. They have also done feasibility study for high-altitude flying. “We already have a very successful cockpit simulator at our Manching facility,” he said. Among the other developments, Eurojet is working on improved life cycle cost, less fuel run and enhanced operational capability.
In terms of production, Eurojet currently delivers nine to 10 engines in a month, but has the capacity to do 15. Hence, it is very well placed to meet the Indian requirement when it comes. More so as he says, “If we win the contract, we will start with 30 per cent of production in India and eventually move onto 50 per cent being done here.” This indeed is hard-sell, which may just go a long way.
FORCE
Eurojet hard-sells its engine to ADA
FORCE - A Complete News Magazine on National Security - Defence Magazine
Selling is an art. And managing director, Eurojet, Hartmut J. Tenter understands this very well. In India recently to reply to the RFP issued by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for a new engine for the Light Combat Aircraft, Tenter’s sales pitch during an interactive session with the media revolved as much around facts as clever rhetoric. After all, you don’t need a managing director to tell you how good the product is. He has to tell you why you need it, and that is what Tenter did with great flourish.
Reason number one:
LCA is a young aircraft and EJ200 is a young engine. “You can’t marry your young daughter to an old man,” he chuckled referring to the GE engine that powers the current LCA. He refused to comment on his rival, the GE engine, saying it is unethical to do so, but he allowed others to speculate on what were the advantages of his product. Someone said that EJ200 was 20 years younger than the GE engine and hence has the advantage of the new generation and Tenter shrugged. Yet another journalist pointed out that that the GE engine is bigger in diameter and is heavier than the Eurojet one and Tenter smiled. If this is not the art of selling, what is?
Reason number two:
EJ200 also powers the Eurofighter. Hence, if ADA chooses the Eurojet engine now and the Indian Air Force selects the Eurofighter later, there will be a commonality of engines. Not only will MRO become easier, there will be greater interoperability in the IAF’s fleet. “I have a feeling,” said Tenter, “ADA would not like the IAF to select a single engine fighter, as that would rival LCA.”
All this speculation apart, Tenter insisted that he is confident that the Eurojet bid is compliant. “Ours is the most modern engine and we have already delivered 650 to six nations, including four core Eurofighter partner countries. In addition to that, we have also supplied engines to Saudi Arabia and Austria,” he said. According to Tenter, with all these countries, Eurojet has forged a deep partnership, and this is what it will seek with India. “I do not believe in making promises, but in a commitment,” he said, adding, “we have given comprehensive details to ADA about how we will go about our partnership with them. It is true that partnership means effort, but if you make the effort, you get better results. And when I use the word partnership, I am doing so fully aware that it implies working together on problems and ironing them out… removing the chinks, so to speak.” To realise this dream, Tenter is confident of harnessing India’s capability in the areas of computer engineering and technology.
ADA has floated the RFP for 99 engines as of now for the Mk I version of the LCA with the option of 49 more. Tenter said that the RFP stipulates 30 per cent offsets, which is not a big issue with them. However, what is more important is transfer of technology. Hence, Tenter’s roadmap stipulates joint-development and not just joint-production. Eurojet is already working on thrust-vectoring and would be able to put the thrust vectoring nozzle when required. They have also done feasibility study for high-altitude flying. “We already have a very successful cockpit simulator at our Manching facility,” he said. Among the other developments, Eurojet is working on improved life cycle cost, less fuel run and enhanced operational capability.
In terms of production, Eurojet currently delivers nine to 10 engines in a month, but has the capacity to do 15. Hence, it is very well placed to meet the Indian requirement when it comes. More so as he says, “If we win the contract, we will start with 30 per cent of production in India and eventually move onto 50 per cent being done here.” This indeed is hard-sell, which may just go a long way.
FORCE
