Showing posts with label Dassault Aviation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dassault Aviation. Show all posts

Sunday, February 15, 2015

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Dassault Aviation "Confident" of Talks With India on The Sale of 126 Rafales

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Dassault Aviation  "Confident" of Talks With India on The Sale of 126 Rafales
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 15, 2015French defence company Dassault Aviation on Friday said it was "very confident" that three years of talks with India on the sale of 126 Rafales worth 12 billion euros would result in a deal.

Eric Trappier, chief executive of Dassault Aviation which manufactures Rafale, in an interview with BFM television, said talks were slow as India wanted some of the jets manufactured at home in a bid to boost defence manufacturing, meaning the details of every nut and bolt had to be agreed upon.


The negotiations have got into trouble recently, leading to delay in finalisation of the contract for supply of 126 fighter planes.

In addition to recent visit to New Delhi of French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said  he was confident about the outcome of talks to sell 126 Rafale fighter jets to India in a multi-billion-dollar deal that has been stalled for months.

Fabius is the first of a string of Western politicians due in New Delhi over the next few weeks for talks with the new government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They are drawn in part by the prospect of defence deals, as the new administration considers opening the industry to foreign investment.

"The discussion is developing in a very positive way and ... we are very confident in the final outcome," Fabius told reporters in the Indian capital.

An Indian defence ministry official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, was more cautious.

"I don't think the deal will be signed very soon. There are many intractable issues to be resolved," he told Reuters, while declining to elaborate.

Modi, in office for just over a month, has vowed to get India's economy out of the doldrums by cutting red tape to revive infrastructure projects - including in the defence industry.

The previous government was widely derided for failing to follow through on promises and for letting major projects become bogged down.

India chose French company Dassault Aviation's Rafale in 2012 over other international jet manufacturers, but disagreements over cost and work-sharing have slowed talks, while India's weak economy has stretched government finances.

No final contract has been signed and rivals including Britain still hold out hope the deal will fall through.

"It is fair that for complex matters it takes some time, but there is a difference between some time and too long," Fabius said, talking about deals in general.

"The notion of efficiency - which is very important if I understand correctly, in the new government approach - is completely shared by us," he added before talks with minister Arun Jaitley, who holds both the finance and defence portfolios.


*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AFP & Reuters
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Friday, February 13, 2015

DTN News - EGYPT DEFENSE NEWS: Egypt Opts For The Rafale

DTN News - EGYPT DEFENSE NEWS: Egypt Opts For The Rafale
*France is to sell 24 Rafale fighter jets to Egypt along with a naval frigate and missiles in a deal worth more than €5 billion, President François Hollande said Thursday, the first time a foreign buyer has been found for the French-built warplanes
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Dassault Aviation & France 24
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 13, 2015: French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will travel to Cairo Monday to sign the final agreement with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Hollande said in a statement issued by his office.

“The Rafale fighter jet has won its first export contract,” Hollande said, confirming a report in French daily Le Monde published earlier Thursday that said a deal had been agreed.
“The Egyptian authorities have just let me know their intention of acquiring 24 Rafale planes, a multi-mission frigate as well as related equipment,” he added.
These last two items are believed to be a FREMM warship, currently used by the French and Italian navies, and a number of short and medium-range missiles built by MBDA.
The deal follows years of failed attempts by France to export the Rafale, described as one of the most effective and sophisticated fighter jets in the world, but also one of the most expensive.
A potential deal to sell the multipurpose warplanes to Brazil  fell through in 2013 when the country chose jets made by Sweden’s Saab instead.
And although manufacturer Dassault Aviation, which launched the Rafale more than a decade ago, has been in exclusive negotiations with India for the last three years, a final deal has yet to be signed.
The French government has reduced its order for the planes to 26 Rafale jets over the next five years, down from 11 a year so far, putting Dassault under further pressure to find a foreign buyer.
Credit facility
A potential deal with Egypt was first muted in November last year during Sisi’s state visit to Paris, according to Le Monde, where discussions were held about replacing Egypt's fleet of 18 Mirage jets, also built by Dassault.
Though funding issues were believed to be a concern, French business daily Les Echos reported earlier this month that the two countries were discussing using a credit facility – arranged by French credit insurer COFACE and involving some of France’s biggest banks – to finance as much as 50 percent of the sale.
France has a history of military hardware deals with Egypt: as well as being the first foreign buyer of the Mirage jet in 1981, Cairo signed a contract last year to buy four French-built naval frigates in a deal worth €1 billion.
Concerns over the rise of jihadist groups in neighbouring Libya and in Egypt’s Sinai province have also seen the countries establish closer ties in recent years.
*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Dassault Aviation & France 24
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

DTN News - DEFEXPO 2012 INDIA: Firms Flock To Delhi To Woo World's Top Arms Importer

Defense News: DTN News - DEFEXPO 2012 INDIA:  Firms Flock To Delhi To Woo World's Top Arms Importer
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources TOI - The Times of India
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / NEW DELHI, India - March 28, 2012: The message is embarrassing but clear: with India failing to get its act together to build a strong defence-industrial base (DIB) unlike China, it will continue to be the world's largest arms importer in the foreseeable future.
 
So, gleeful global armament giants are again lining up to hard-sell their aircraft, helicopters, drones, submarines, howitzers, futuristic infantry combat vehicles, missiles, assault rifles and carbines at India's biennial arms jamboree here.

There are going to be 232 foreign firms, mainly from the US, Russia, France, Israel, the UK and Germany, and 60 official delegations in town this week for the four-day "DefExpo-2012' that begins on Thursday.

Over 335 Indian exhibitors, including major ones like Tatas, Punj Lloyd, L&T and Mahindra, will also be there to explore tie-ups and joint ventures with foreign companies as well as DRDO, defence PSUs and domestic shipyards.

"We understand fully well that indigenization cannot happen through only defence PSUs...we have taken several steps to encourage the private sector," said Shekhar Agarwal, secretary (defence production).

The defence ministry has been pushing for JVs and technology transfers to strengthen the DIB, albeit in a haphazard manner, even as it continues to restrict FDI to only 26% in the defence production sector.

Foreign vendors who bag arms deals over Rs 300 crore, of course, have to plough back at least 30% of the contract value into India as "offsets" in the defence industrial, civil aerospace, homeland security and training sectors.

The gigantic $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project to acquire 126 fighters, in fact, has a 50% offset clause. Offset contracts worth over Rs 50,000 crore are set to materialize over the next two to three years, say officials.

But India, with its fledgling DIB, still remains far away from reversing the current trend of being forced to import 70% of its military hardware and software. This also leaves it vulnerable to supply lines being choked in times of conflict.

Just earlier this month, Swedish think-tank SIPRI dubbed India the world's largest arms importer, accounting as it did for 10% of global arms imports in the 2007-2011 timeframe to display China. With an aggressive DIB, often propelled by "reverse engineering", China is becoming a major arms exporter to countries like Pakistan.

But if India inked arms deals worth $50 billion mainly with foreign vendors in the decade after the 1999 Kargil conflict, it will spend well over double that amount in the current decade.

The Army has pointed at huge operational gaps in fields ranging from artillery, aviation, air defence and night-fighting to ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles), PGMs (precision guided munitions) and specialized tank and rifle ammunition.

After taking it up with defence minister A K Antony, the force now wants to brief the PM since it will need around Rs 41,000 crore to make up just its existing "critical hollowness'' in ammunition and equipment, say sources.

Indian arms bazaar

Aircraft:
-- India in final commercial negotiations with French Dassault Aviation for the $20 billion MMRCA project to acquire 126 fighters.

-- Over $1.5 billion contract for six new mid-air refueling aircraft in final stage between AirbusMilitary's A330 MRTT and Ilyushin IL-78MK tankers.

-- Acquisition of 75 Swiss Pilatus PC-7 trainer aircraft for over Rs 3,000 crore awaiting final nod.

-- Three major "follow-on" deals with US companies in pipeline: Six more C-130J "Super Hercules" tactical airlift planes (over $1.2 billion), four P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft (over $1 billion) and six C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlift aircraft (over $2.4 billion).

Helicopters:
Army, Navy, IAF and Coast Guard on course to induct over 600 helicopters, ranging from heavy-lift and attack to maritime multi-role and light utility ones, the majority from foreign companies, for over Rs 20,000 crore in the coming decade.

Submarines:
Global tender for over Rs 50,000 crore `Project-75 India' to construct six advanced diesel-electric stealth submarines, armed with both land-attack missile capabilities and air-independent propulsion (AIP), to be issued soon.

Artillery:
Over Rs 20,000 crore 155mm artillery modernization programme to acquire 1,580 towed guns, 814 mounted gun systems, 180 self-propelled wheeled guns, 100 self-propelled tracked guns and 145 air-mobile ultra-light howitzers. 


 
*DTN India  @DTNIndia ~ Available on Twitter
Comprehensive Daily News on India Today ~ © Copyright (c) DTN News Defense-Technology News

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources TOI - The Times of India
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS 

Saturday, February 18, 2012

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: India Says It is Negotiating Contract With Dassault

Defense News: DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: India Says It is Negotiating Contract With Dassault
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources OutLookIndia.com
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 18, 2012: India today virtually ruled out a rethink on its decision in the multi-billion dollar combat aircraft deal saying it has already started negotiating the contract with French firm Dassault Aviation in this regard.

On January 31, India had announced that the French Rafale fighter jet has emerged as the lowest bidder in the deal for procuring 126 combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) edging out its European rival EADS consortium's Eurofighter Typhoon.
"Already the Contract Negotiations Committee (CNC) has started for the procurement of Rafale," Defence Minister A K Antony said here.

The Minister was asked to comment on British Prime Minister David Cameron's statement that he would ask India to rethink its decision on the deal and buy the Eurofighter Typhoon.

The CNC is formed by the Ministry to negotiate the final price of the equipment offered by the vendors.

Antony warned the officials and vendors involved in the process against indulging in any wrongdoing saying "everybody should be careful.... Nobody can corrupt India system. We will not tolerate this."

He said the contract negotiations take place for over six months and after that the deal will have to pass through eight stages.

"It will have to pass through scrutiny in eight stages. After CNC, it will come to Defence Ministry. In Ministry also, there will be minimum four stages of scrutiny by Defence Finance. Then it will go to independent monitors appointed by the CVC and then go to the National Security Council Secretariat and Finance Ministry," Antony said.

The Defence Minister made it clear that Indian foreign policy and relations with any country have no connection with procurement of weapon systems.

"Our foreign policy and relations are one thing but our procurements are not based on political considerations. Procurement is based on trials by services and lowest price. There will be no other consideration," Antony said.

At every stage before reaching the Cabinet Committee on Security, the Minister said there will be "scrupulous scrutiny" and "total transparency" would be maintained.

Asked about reasons for deferring the proposal to clear the Pilatus trainer aircraft deal of the IAF, the Defence Minister said, "At every stage, we want to be absolutely clear that everything has gone as per the Defence Procurement Procedure and is transparent."

"Some more discussions are going on in the Finance Ministry and there is no problem in it but this is part of the process by which we want to ensure that everything is clinched in a transparent process," he said.

The IAF is planning to buy 75 Pilatus basic trainer aircraft from Switzerland and the proposal in this regard is yet to be cleared by the CCS.

On modernisation plans of the HAL, the Minister said the Government has set up a Committee under former Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi for restructuring the aerospace company and the report is expected to be submitted by the end of March.

He expressed hope that after the restructuring, HAL would be able to take up complex projects such as the development of a medium-lift helicopter like the Mi-17 V5 inducted in the IAF today.

"It is not a personal matter. It happened so unfortunately. It is over now and don't raise the issue in country's interest. National interest is always supreme," Antony said, replying to questions.

The Defence Minister said that the controversy had arisen due to two sets of dates of birth maintained by the two different branches of the Army.

The AG Branch record maintained it to be May 10, 1951 whereas the Military Secretary's branch showed him to be born a year earlier.

Related News;


RAFALE DEAL QUESTIONED BY MINISTRY OF DEFENCE OFFICIALS 

India Today - ‎6 hours ago‎
The mother of India's defence deals, the Rs 62000-crore contract for the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) Rafale won by the French company Dassault, may become a bag of woes for the government. Rafale bagged the deal because it was declared as ...

'NO EUROFIGHTER COMEBACK' 

Times of India - ‎12 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI: Virtually ruling out any comeback by the Eurofighter Typhoon in the almost $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project, India on Friday said it had already begun final commercial negotiations with French Dassault Aviation ...

INDIA OPENS NEGOTIATIONS FOR RAFALE 

The Hindu - ‎15 hours ago‎
Defence Minister AK Antony on Friday announced the start of negotiations with French firm Dassault Aviation for the acquisition of Rafale, and gently brushed aside Britain's suggestions to rethink the decision. In an interaction with journalists after ...

INDIA SURE TO BUY FRENCH RAFALE JETS: INDIAN AIR FORCE 

AFP - ‎18 hours ago‎
PARIS — India will not veer from its decision to award a 12-billion-dollar contract to France for Rafale fighter planes, the Indian Air Force chief of staff said in an interview published online. "We have a procedure as per the defense procurement ...

MOD OFFICIALS QUESTION RAFALE DEAL 

India Today - ‎21 hours ago‎
The Rafale will fulfil the Indian Air Force's requirement for a Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft. The country's biggest defence deal for the purchase of 126 Rafale fighter jets, estimated to be worth around Rs 62000 crore, seems to be running into ...

ANOTHER SIX MONTHS FOR 126 COMBAT PLANES DEAL: AK ANTONY 

Economic Times - ‎21 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI: India could take another six months to sign a contract for 126 combat planes for which it is holding cost negotiations with France's Dassault Aviation, the lowest bidder, that is offering its Rafale aircraft. Defence Minister AK Antony told ...

INDIA SAYS IT IS NEGOTIATING CONTRACT WITH DASSAULT 

Indian Express - ‎Feb 17, 2012‎
India today virtually ruled out a rethink on its decision in the multi-billion dollar combat aircraft deal saying it has already started negotiating the contract with French firm Dassault Aviation in this regard. On January 31, India had announced that ...

ANTONY-AIRCRAFT 2 LAST 

IBNLive.com - ‎Feb 17, 2012‎
PTI | 04:02 PM,Feb 17,2012 The Defence Minister made it clear that Indian foreign The Defence Minister made it clear that Indian foreign policy and relations with any country have no connection with procurement of weapon systems.

FRANCE, BRITAIN'S JOINT DRONE PROJECT 

The Nation, Pakistan - ‎Feb 16, 2012‎
PARIS - France and Britain are to launch a joint project to build air combat drones during a visit by Prime Minister David Cameron to Paris, Les Echos daily reported on Thursday. Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will announce the project ...

BAE HOLDS OUT HOPE FOR MEGA-CONTRACT WITH INDIA 

AFP - ‎Feb 16, 2012‎
LONDON — British arms manufacturer BAE Systems said Thursday it held out hope that India may reverse its decision to negotiate a mega-contract for 126 fighter jets exclusively with France's Dassault Aviation. In a lacklustre earnings statement, ...

FRENCH-UK DRONE PROJECT TO BE UNVEILED BY END OF WEEK 

Jerusalem Post - ‎Feb 16, 2012‎
By REUTERS 02/16/2012 15:47 PARIS - France and Britain will unveil plans on Friday for a joint project to develop a next-generation unmanned stealth aircraft, or drone, following a cooperation accord signed in 2010, according to sources with knowledge ...

DASSAULT SUCCESSION OFFERS HOPE FOR CHANGE 

Financial Times - ‎Feb 15, 2012‎
By James Boxell in Paris The French defence industry is abuzz with speculation about succession planning at Dassault, the fighter jet maker still controlled by its 86-year-old family patriarch. The hope among rivals is that the search for a junior ...

RAFALE DECISION NO SETBACK TO TIES WITH INDIA: UK MINISTER 

The Hindu - ‎Feb 15, 2012‎
Britain does not regard India's decision to buy French combat aircraft Rafale as a setback to bilateral ties, but believes that it is legitimate to carry on making a case for Eurofighter Typhoon made by a European consortium that includes Britain.

DASSAULT'S FAMILY VALUE HAS COSTS, SAY RIVALS 

Financial Times - ‎Feb 15, 2012‎
By James Boxell in Paris A final contract for 126 new combat aircraft is not yet signed, explaining the reluctance to crow too loudly. But the choice of Dassault's Rafale, over the rival Eurofighter, as the preferred bid by India's air force has done ...

BRAZIL LIKELY TO BUY FRENCH FIGHTER 

Ottawa Citizen - ‎Feb 15, 2012‎
By Brian Winter, Reuters February 15, 2012 A trio of Rafale fighter jets are seen at the French military air base of Solenzara, on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. The aircraft's maker, Dassault, plans to sell its fighters to India and the United ...

ANTONY SETS TONE FOR JET DEAL COURSE 

Calcutta Telegraph - ‎13 hours ago‎
New Delhi, Feb. 17: India's procurement of the Rafale fighter jet over the Eurofighter Typhoon after the air force selected the French plane last week can take up to a year “but there will be no politics involved,” defence minister AK Antony said today ...

THE RAFALE: OPPORTUNITY TOWARDS INDIGENOUS AIRCRAFT DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE ... 

Eurasia Review - ‎13 hours ago‎
By Vivek Kapur In a gruelling five-year selection process, the Indian Air Force (IAF) tested six foreign fourth generation plus fighters—the American F-16IN and F-18E/F, the French Rafale, the Swedish Gripen NG, the European Eurofighter Typhoon, ...

BRAZIL, UAE MIGHT FOLLOW INDIA'S CHOICE OF RAFALE; DEBATE OVER SWISS CHOICE ... 

Aviation International News - ‎14 hours ago‎
by Chris Pocock Denied an export order for years, the Dassault Rafale may soon clinch three of them. (Photo: Dassault) The French Rafale is reportedly well placed to triumph in the long-running fighter jet contest in Brazil, and also to secure the ...

INDIA FIRM ON BUYING RAFALE FIGHTER JETS 

Daily Pioneer - ‎17 hours ago‎
In a virtual snub to the UK, which protested India's selection of French-built Rafale fighter jet for the medium multi-role aircraft (MMRCA) deal, Defence Minister AK Antony on Friday said defence procurement is not based on “political considerations” ...

SHOULD GOVERNMENT BE DOING MORE TO SUPPORT BAE SYSTEMS? 

Fresh Business Thinking - ‎20 hours ago‎
By Maximilian Clarke Revenue dropped by an alarming 14% at the UK's biggest manufacturer, BAE Systems, after the global defence giant missed out on a series of high profile contracts. Particularly damaging was the loss, to French rival Dassault ...

INDIA CHOOSES FRANCE OVER RUSSIA AND AMERICA IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST MILITARY ... 

PolicyMic - ‎Feb 17, 2012‎
Although Asian states did not emerge unharmed from the global economic recession, they seem sound enough to withstand the crisis. Regional dynamics and rivalries, not to mention persistent internal security imperatives, are sure to divert a big ...

UK TO ANNOUNCE JOINT DRONE PROJECT WITH FRANCE 

Channel 4 News - ‎Feb 16, 2012‎
A UK/French plan to build the next-generation drone will be announced tomorrow during a summit in Paris, as Britain's BAE Systems warns of a 14 per cent fall in sales due to defence spending cuts. To view this video you will need to have Adobe Flash ...

FRANCE, BRITAIN TO BUILD UNMANNED FIGHTER JET 

The Leading Aviation Industry Resource for News, Equipment and - ‎Feb 16, 2012‎
Feb. 16--PARIS -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron are to unveil plans to develop an unmanned European fighter jet at a summit in Paris on Friday, Les Echos financial newspaper reported.

DASSAULT, BAE TO WORK ON UNMANNED FIGHTER JET PROJECT - REPORT 

4-traders - ‎Feb 16, 2012‎
French maker of business and fighter jets Dassault Aviation SA (>> DASSAULT AVIATION) and UK aerospace company BAE Systems PLC (>> BAE Systems plc) will start working on a joint prototype of an unmanned fighter jet to be ready in 2020, French newspaper ...

CAMERON IN FIGHTER JET TALKS 

Blackpool Gazette - ‎Feb 16, 2012‎
By Chris Dixon A CONSORTIUM of Fylde coast MPs are to meet with the Prime Minister to ensure the Government is doing everything in its power to fight to save the sale of BAE Systems' Eurofighter Typhoon jets to India. The last gasp Downing Street talks ...

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources OutLookIndia.com
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS