Indian defence industry exports watch

[Indx TechStyle]

IRDE/DRDO Parandomic Sights for Arjun Mark 2

Tonbo Imagings, Rodimus, multi axis FOG stabilized panoramic electro-optical sight designed for armoured vehicles
Thanks @WCW

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Some of Tonbo Imaging Sights

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Warship exports to Vietnam confirmed





MCIWS/AAR?

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Thanks @Rushil51.
30 characters rule sucks.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

India supplying warships to 16 countries

Image used for representational purpose only

At least 16-17 countries are in discussion with Indian shipyards to acquire warship from India including Vietnam, Bangladesh and UAE, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said in a brief interaction with media on sidelines of a event in national capital.

"We are exporting warships to many countries like a private shipward is giving to Vietnam. Several other countries like Bangladesh and UAE are among 16-17 nations are in discussions with India for supply of warship." Manohar Parrikar.

While on exporting BrahMos supersonic missile to Vietnam, Parrikar said," we are willing to give BrahMos missile to any friendly nation and Vietnam is a friend."

Parrikar also said that India has already decided to give training to Vietnam Air Force for their newly inducted Sukhoi fighter jets.

New Delhi's engagement with Vietnam is seen as counter measures to contain China's growing influence in the region.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

India To Export $2 Billion Worth Of Defence Equipments By 2019, Says Manohar Parrikar

 

[Indx TechStyle]

HCL completes acquisition of Butler America Aerospace

IT services major HCL Technologies today said it has completed its USD 85 million acquisition of Butler America Aerospace.

The all-cash deal, announced in October last year, will strengthen HCL Technologies' position in the aerospace and defence engineering services space.

"The acquisition has been completed with effect from January 3, 2017," HCL said in a filing to the BSE.

Butler Aerospace provides engineering, design services and aftermarket engineering services to US aerospace and defence customers, serving them in areas of mechanical and structural design, electrical design, tool design and aftermarket engineering services.

The acquisition excludes staffing business of Butler America Inc.

Butler America Aerospace had revenues of USD 85.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2015. With over 900 engineers and seven design centres in the US, Butler Aerospace has a marque list of clients.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

L&T and Bharat Forge to tie-up with ISRO, DRDO for several key projects
Mr Baba Kalyani said his companies would, with help from IIT, Chennai, attempt to build an indigenous jet engine soon.

A special lab to design this jet engine will be established shortly.

TIRUPATI: For the first time, top honchos of two big-ticket Indian firms — L&T and Bharat Forge —spoke of their collaboration with the academia and two premier organisations, ISRO and DRDO, for fruition of several key projects as ideal examples to script a success story of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Mr Jayant Patil, senior vice-president and head of defence and aerospace, L&T, and Mr Baba N Kalyani, chairman and MD, Bharat Forge, who addressed a session on Industry-Academia interaction at the 104th edition of Indian Science Congress, explained the contribution of the academia, their respective organisations, and defence and aerospace experts, in design and roll out of key systems and products.

Mr Baba Kalyani said his companies would, with help from IIT, Chennai, attempt to build an indigenous jet engine soon. This small engine could be used to power unmanned aerial vehicles, auxiliary power units and short range missiles. A special lab to design this jet engine will be established shortly. An advanced towed artillery gun with a range of 42 km, designed and developed for DRDO within two and half years, well ahead of the deadline of three years, completed test firing in six hours instead of three days.

@airtel

 

[PD_Solo]

India to cut defence budget by 50% within a decade:MoS Defence

http://m.economictimes.com/news/def...fence-subhash-bhamre/articleshow/56352687.cms

Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk

 

[ezsasa]

India to cut defence budget by 50% within a decade:MoS Defence

http://m.economictimes.com/news/def...fence-subhash-bhamre/articleshow/56352687.cms

Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk

Not gonna happen.

Only 40% goes to capex.
Even with offset, how much will be they be able to cutdown on budget.

 

[PD_Solo]

Not gonna happen.

Only 40% goes to capex.
Even with offset, how much will be they be able to cutdown on budget.

I think it should be of foreign imports...

Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Not gonna happen.

Only 40% goes to capex.
Even with offset, how much will be they be able to cutdown on budget.

I think it should be of foreign imports...

Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk

Views from my friend American Military Forum (that even way before this news)

The sudden increase in India's current defence budget is temporary aimed at modernization of armed forces. India has one of largest militaries but sucks when comes to quality. As India modernizes it's defence, defence budget will come down slowly and and balance of power between India and Pakistan will shift will shift in India's favour even more heavily.
But India's defence budget will grow at sluggish pace till 2030, just like China's who still spends a very low percentage of GDP on its defence.

Sounds reasonable, because there's no point in spending heavily before we become at least a middle income economy.
He predicted and look, it's in news that coming down soon.
Though, I think India's defence budget in percentage will get half in a decade. In numbers, it'll remain third in the world after US & China.

 

[ezsasa]

Views from my friend American Military Forum (that even way before this news)

The sudden increase in India's current defence budget is temporary aimed at modernization of armed forces. India has one of largest militaries but sucks when comes to quality. As India modernizes it's defence, defence budget will come down slowly and and balance of power between India and Pakistan will shift will shift in India's favour even more heavily.
But India's defence budget will grow at sluggish pace till 2030, just like China's who still spends a very low percentage of GDP on its defence.

Sounds reasonable, because there's no point in spending heavily before we become at least a middle income economy.
He predicted and look, it's in news that coming down soon.
Though, I think India's defence budget in percentage will get half in a decade. In numbers, it'll remain third in the world after US & China.

Parrikar says he plans to approve 2.5 lakh crores of new defence deal spending by next year, that is more than 35 billion USD. even assuming an average spend of atleast 3-5 billion a year, these new deals alone will have to go on for another 6-8 years.

My take : defence capex spending will continue to rise by 8-10% as per the past trends, cost of imports might reduce as @PD_Solo has mentioned.

 

[F-14B]

What suprises me is where were all these deals that we are doing for thw last 10 years????

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Startups serve India's defence, and profitably
For Bengaluru-based Tonbo Imaging, which makes digital imaging systems for military equipment like guns, UAVs, and battle tanks, almost 80% of revenue comes from the defence forces.

Last January, when the Pathankot district in Punjab came under cross-border firing, the Indian army depended heavily on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The soldiers used them for border surveillance. Those UAVs were built by IdeaForge, a small 100-people, Mumbai-based venture that was started in 2008 by three IIT-Bombay graduates.

IdeaForge's flagship product is Netra, which it jointly developed with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

IdeaForge is among a growing number of innovative ventures that are catering to India's defence forces. For Bengaluru-based Tonbo Imaging, which makes digital imaging systems for military equipment like guns, UAVs, and battle tanks, almost 80% of revenue comes from the defence forces, while the rest comes from industries like power.

Axio Biosolutions of Bengaluru makes a sponge-like bandage that helps in blood clotting when pressed against a cut or a wound in the body. The product has been purchased by over 70 battalions of the Indian army. Leo Mavely, who founded Axio Biosolutions in 2007, stopped exporting two months ago to meet the surge in domestic demand.

Mavely thinks that with the Indian military's push for modernization, the demand for products like his will soar. "Under the new defence modernization initiatives, there's a lot of focus on preventing deaths," he says.

Alok Mukherjee, the scientist at DRDO who discovered IdeaForge at a conference in 2008 and who has been working with them on the UAVs since then, says it is easier to work with smaller companies. "They are willing to listen to your requirements and work accordingly. There is a lot of hunger within them and that reflects in their work as well," he says.

Mukherjee says it is a win-win for both sides because the DRDO provides startups with a control station and top-quality resources to work with. Gurgaon-based robotics company Hi-tech Robotics Systemz, and Pune-basedBeta Control are some of the other startups that the DRDO works with.

However, there are challenges that comes with working with government organizations. "Getting payments on time is sometimes a problem. And that impacts investor sentiments," says Ankit Mehta, co-founder at IdeaForge, which recently raised Rs 70 crore from investors including WRV Capital, IndusAge Partners, and Infosys.

Tonbo's founder Arvind Lakshmikumar voices another issue: "In the defence sector, the bidding cycle is longer and there are a lot more checks and balances. But that is part of the process in winning those deals."

However, both IdeaForge and Tonbo are profitable. Mehta says that the commercial interest in the space is slowly building and innovative products will always command value in this space. "Every asset-heavy sector has been disrupted by technology barring defence, and we want to disrupt that sector," adds Lakshmikumar. He says that the defence procurement cycle in India has come down to 3 years, from 9 years earlier.

 

[ezsasa]

Has anyone found any article or op-ed piece which gives an overview on Procurement, testings and inductions planned for the calendar year 2017?

 

[Indx TechStyle]

So, as earlier posted, old PSUs will be sold soon.
Centre clears 26% strategic sale in BEML

The stake sale may fetch the exchequer more than &1,000 crore. File photo | Photo Credit: K. K. Mustafah

The Centre will sell 26 per cent stake in defence equipment manufacturer BEML, making it the first major PSU to be sold through strategic disinvestment, which may fetch the exchequer over ₹1,000 crore.

In a notification to the stock exchanges, BEML said that the Cabinet has given an ‘in-principal’ approval for strategic disinvestment of 26 per cent equity shares in BEML Ltd. out of government’s shareholding of 54.03 per cent.

At the current market pricing of ₹999.50 a share, 26 per cent stake of BEML could fetch the exchequer over ₹1,000 crore. After the strategic sale, government stake in the PSU would come down to 28.03 per cent.

“The said shareholding would be sold to the strategic buyer/s to be identified by the government of India by following due procedure,” BEML said.

The strategic sale approval is just the third in over 12 years.

In September, the Cabinet had cleared strategic sale of Bharat Pumps and Compressors Ltd., while in December it had approved sale of India’s first pharma company Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd as well as Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd.

These PSUs will be the first privatisation since sale of Jessop and Co in 2003-04 under the NDA government headed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

These are among the public sector units that NITI Aayog has identified for sale of government’s majority stake to private companies in order to bring in greater efficiency and professionalism in their functioning.

Established in May 1964, BEML operates on three major business verticals for associated equipment manufacturing — mining and construction, rail and metro and defence and aerospace. Its turnover has risen to more than ₹3,500 crore.

The PSU, under the administrative control of defence ministry, provides equipment support to Indian Army and other defence forces by manufacturing variants of Tatra vehicle for all terrain operation.

It also supports the aerospace operations by supplying ground support equipment such as Aircraft Towing Tractor, Multi Purpose Weapon Loader and Crash Fire Tender.

The government is targeting ₹56,500 crore in disinvestment proceeds this fiscal. Of this, ₹36,000 crore is to come from minority stake sale in PSUs and another ₹20,500 crore from strategic stake sale.

— PTI

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Defence PSUs warm up to startups

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Wary of China, India offers Akash surface-to-air missile systems to Vietnam

Indigenously developed Akash surface-to-air missile. (TOI File Photo)

NEW DELHI: India is now actively discussing the possible sale of the indigenously developed Akash surface-to-air missile systems to Vietnam, even as the two countries steadily crank up their bilateral military ties with a watchful eye on a confrontational China in the Asia-Pacific region.

With Beijing continuing to thwart New Delhi's bid to join the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group and get Jaish-e-Muhammed chief Masood Azhar designated a terrorist by the UN, while also stepping up its naval forays into the Indian Ocean Region, India is responding by fast-tracking military ties with countries in China's own backyard. The expanding "strategic and military partnership" with Japan and Vietnam, in particular, has emerged a major thrust area.

Sources say the discussions under way with Vietnam on the Akash area defence missiles, which have an interception range of 25-km against hostile aircraft, helicopters and drones, come after India earlier offered BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Varunastra anti-submarine torpedoes to the country.

India, of course, will also begin training Vietnamese fighter pilots on its Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets from this year, much like it has been tutoring sailors from that country on the intricate art of operating Kilo-class submarines for the last three years, as reported earlier by TOI.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar says Vietnam "is a close friend" and several initiatives are in progress to further boost bilateral defence cooperation, ranging from help in upgrade of military equipment of the Vietnamese forces to training them on fighters and submarines.

All this comes in the backdrop of India and Vietnam deciding to "elevate" their "strategic partnership", which was established in July 2007, into a "comprehensive strategic partnership" during PM Narendra Modi's visit to Hanoi in September 2016.

Sources said Vietnam has shown "deep interest" in the acquisition of Akash missiles, asking for transfer of technology and joint production of the air defence system.

India, however, thinks it has to be an incremental process, with an initial off-the-shelf purchase followed by transfer of technology in maintenance and other areas.

"Talks are in progress to arrive at a common plan. It's relatively easier on the Akash front since the missile system is 96% indigenous," said a source. The two defence secretaries, incidentally, are slated to meet soon to identify the military projects and equipment under the new $500 million defence line of credit announced by Modi in September.

But it will be more complicated to sell the 290-km range BrahMos — or transfer technology — to Vietnam because the missiles are produced here under a joint Indo-Russian venture. BrahMos missiles still have an import content of over 60% from Russia.

On other fronts, however, India is fast expanding its military training, technology sharing, joint exercises, visits and exchange of experts with Vietnam. Faced with a belligerent China, Vietnam too has been strengthening its military capabilities by inducting Kilo-class submarines and Sukhoi fighters from Russia, both of which have been operated by Indian armed forces for years.

It was in 2013 that India had kicked off the training of a large number of Vietnamese sailors in "comprehensive underwater combat operations'' in Navy submarine school INS Satavahana, Visakhapatnam.

Now, the training on Sukhois is all set to take off.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

‘Gujarat will be defence services hub’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Mr. Modi will inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Summit on January 10. — FILE PHOTO: PTI | Photo Credit: PTI

Defence equipment manufacturing and international finance services are the focus areas at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 10 at Mahatma Mandir Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar.

“We have recently announced a policy to support defence and aerospace manufacturing. At the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, several big-ticket memoranda of understanding will be inked with companies like the Anil Ambani Group, Mahindra & Mahindra, L&T and a few foreign firms,” Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told

The Hindu in an interview. “Several mega factories to make defence equipment and research and development centres will be set up in the State.”

Aiming to attract investment in aerospace and defence design, development and manufacturing, the government has announced Aerospace and Defence Policy-2016, offering a slew of benefits and incentives. According to Mr. Rupani, manufacturing is Gujarat’s forte: the State is a leading manufacturing base for petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles and automobiles. Now, defence equipment will join the list.

“After 2008, Gujarat emerged as a preferred hub for car-makers, with Ford, Honda and Suzuki opening factories in the State. Similarly, the companies engaged in defence and aerospace equipment manufacturing will set up shop in the State,” said Mr. Rupani, who assumed office in August last after the sudden resignation of Anandiben Patel.

Incentives offered

Under the policy, tax incentives like reimbursement of stamp duty and exemption from the Value Added Tax and interest subsidy on borrowings are available to those seeking to set up R&D centres or manufacturing units in the State.

International financial services is another area of focus, with the opening of the international stock exchange set up by the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in Gujarat International Finance Tec City (GIFT City) near Gandhinagar. The BSE’s international exchange will also be opened by Mr. Modi on January 9.

Jaitley to address seminar

During the three-day summit, a seminar on ‘Business Potential of IFSC in India’ will be addressed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel.

“GIFT City is the only international financial services centre in the country. So, it will be the hub of financial services, including banking, insurance and stock-trading. It has the potential to create thousands of jobs,” Mr. Rupani said.