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Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested France for 36 Rafale fighters, built by Dassault Aviation, to meet the needs of Indian Air Force (IAF) for 126 fighters. Since then speculation is rising about a second global vendor that might fill the gap, building light fighters in India, alongside an Indian partner.

In interviews with state-run broadcaster Doordarshan and Hindustan Times, defence minister Manohar Parrikar had also explicitly stated the IAF urgently needs light fighters, a requirement the Rafale does not meet.

Likening light, medium and heavy fighters to a scooter, car and bus respectively, Parrikar told Hindustan Times it would be wasteful to deploy a big, heavy Rafale where a smaller fighter would do.For short-range, short-duration missions that are currently performed by the single-engine MiG-21, Parrikar told Doordarshan theIAF needs a light fighter, not the Rafale.

"Rafale is not a replacement for MiG-21. Tejas (Light Combat Aircraft) is a replacement for MiG-21. Or, if we build some other fighter under 'Make in India', that is also possible", said Parrikar.

New Delhi's growing and explicitly expressed interest in light fighters has been noted by Swedish company, Saab, which had offered its highly regarded JAS 39 Gripen E light fighter in response to the tender eventually won by Dassault's Rafale.

Even as Parrikar stressed on the need for a light fighter, Maharashtra's chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday visited Saab's facility in Sweden, where the Gripen NG fighter is built. From there he tweeted a photo of himself in the cockpit of a Gripen and a message saying: "It was great to be at the aerospace and defence company SAAB at Linkoping, Sweden. Promised a defence manufacturing policy in Maharashtra soon."

Top Saab officials said Business Standard, even before Fadnavis, the chief ministers of UP and Gujarat-then Narendra Modi -had held discussions with Saab.

A top Saab official told Business Standard on the condition of anonymity: "If we are approached by the government of India, Saab would be happy to partner the Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) or an Indian private company in not just manufacturing fighters in India, but in developing real capabilities for building a single-engine fighter for the IAF."

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has not yet approached Saab directly, speaking only through the media.

However, in 2012-13, the DRDO had solicited Saab's help in co-developing and manufacturing the Tejas Mark II in India. Besides the similarities between the Tejas and the Gripen -both single-engine, light fighters - Saab had upgraded the Gripen D to the Gripen NG by replacing the General Electric F-404 engine with the more powerful GE F-414.

That is exactly what the DRDO plans to do for upgrading Tejas Mark I to Mark II specifications.

In 2012, DRDO chief VK Saraswat had sent Saab a "Request for Information", followed in January 2013 with a "Request for Proposal" inviting Saab to jointly audit the Tejas design with DRDO.

As Business Standard reported last year (June 17, 2014, " Rafale contract elusive, Eurofighter and Saab remain hopeful") Saab proposed an 8-10 month long audit of the Tejas design, after which a fresh design would be jointly finalised and a manufacturing line established with Saab's expertise.

Saab had proposed as far back in 2011 to co-develop Tejas Mark II and roll it out from a new manufacturing line within five years. Saab had then demanded 51 per cent ownership of the joint venture company that built the new Tejas.

Saab in June 2013 said, when a joint design contract seemed imminent, a new DRDO chief, Avinash Chander, took charge. He told Saab a foreign partner for co-developing the Tejas Mark II could be selected only through an international tender.

Now, Saab officials say they will insist on a government-to-government (G2G) arrangement, if they are to assist India in developing and manufacturing a light fighter in India. Under the UPA government, this would have been a deal breaker. Parrikar, however, stated on Monday: "These important decisions need to be taken at government-to-government levels."

The Saab Gripen has so far proved more popular in the international market than the Rafale. While Rafale has not yet found a single overseas buyer (Egypt and India have expressed interest), the South African, Czech, Hungarian, Thailand and British Royal Air Force have acquired the Gripen. In addition, the Brazilian, Polish and Slovakian air forces have expressed interest.

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US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter is likely to visit India next month when the two sides are expected to ink the nearly $2.5 billion deal for 22 Apache and 15 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.

Though the final dates for Carter's visit have not been announced, defence sources said the visit will take place in May during which the two sides will discuss ways to enhance defence ties, especially in context of Prime Minister ..

The deal would be presented before the Cabinet Committee on Security for approval soon, they added.

American defence major Boeing, along with the US government, has extended the validity of the price quoted by them for another three months hoping to wrap up the deal soon.

Indian Defence Ministry had last month sought extension of the validity period on its expiry on March 31.

"They (Defence Ministry) kept asking for extensions and we did provide them as and when appropriate. It is not always possible to keep extending because we live in a world where we feel inflationary pressure," Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar had said in a press conference here.
Boeing has extended the price validity for They (Defence Ministry) kept asking for extensions and we did provide them as and when appropriate. It is not always possible to keep extending because we live in a world where we feel inflationary pressure," Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar had said in a press conference here.

Incidentally, the present Defence Procurement Policy does not allow room for increase in price once a bid has been shortlisted. In the event of the original manufacturer seeking a higher price than the one agreed upon, the tender can be terminated and a fresh one issued, as per defence officials.

The deal for the Apache is a "a hybrid one", with one contract to be signed with Boeing for the helicopter and the other with the US government for its weapons, radars and electronic warfare suites.

The US has been pushing for this contract as it will further bolster American presence in the burgeoning defence market of India.

American companies have over the last decade bagged defence contracts from India worth around USD 10 billion, including for aircraft like P-8I, C-130J 'Super Hercules' and C-17 Globemaster-III.

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Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is going to hold a meeting with Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to promote the ambitious project of setting up a light combat aircraft manufacturing unit in Maharashtra.

The possibility of setting up the unit in Nagpur is not being ruled out. The orange city is also the home town of Fadnavis. The meeting is likely to take place at month end.

Fadnavis’ proposed project comes in the wake of the decision taken by Parrikar to promote indigenously made aircraft in India. The defence minister has indicated that India would require at least 100 new light combat aircraft within the next five years.

The mandate from PM Narendra Modi to Parrikar is to promote manufacturing hub in defence sector in India. Speaking to Indian Express Fadnavis said, “Maharashtra which is the leading industrial state has proposed setting up of new defence manufacturing unit.”

He said, “It is my endeavour to have an aircraft manufacturing unit in Maharashtra. Since, the subject comes under the ministry of defence, I am going to hold a meeting with Manohar Parrikar to take the matter forward.”

Emphasising he said, “I am looking forward to push Maharashtra’s case for the manufacturing unit.”

The chief minister indicated that Nagpur’s Mihan which already has 100 billion dollar Boeing aircraft maintenance and repair overhaul (MOR) depot is being considered positively.

From all aspects Nagpur is suitable for the aircraft unit. However, final decisions will be arrived after consultations with centre. Fadnavis said, “At this moment my priority is to promote new industrial ventures in Maharashtra which is the destination for global players.

Whether it is Nagpur or Aurangabad or other towns and cities we are determined to transform them into smart cities for overall socio-economic growth of state.” After all, Maharashtra contributes upto 15 percent of the National GDP, he added.

Fadnavis revealed, “During my tour abroad last week I visited the aerospace and defence company SAAB at Linkoping Sweden. It was a great experience as we exchanged knowledge about the advanced technology in making of the combat aircraft.”

The chief minister said, “The centre-state will pursue the matter and we expect the delegations to arrive in state soon.” Maharashtra government will also put in place its detail defence policy after consultations with ministry of defense and PMO.

The decision to chose Nagpur comes in wake of the availability of plenty of land and available infrastructure. The city which is geographically is centrally located in India, has the potential to emerge as the aircraft manufacturing hub in coming years, it was felt.

During his visit abroad last week chief minister hopped Germany, Sweden, Stockholm to promote Make in India with special emphasise on Maharashtra. Fadnavis accompanied Modi to the trade fair at Hannover Messe.

Fadnavis said, “The purpose of the visit was to impress upon the global players the ease of doing business in India and specially in Maharashtra.

And I must concede that global players showed keen interest in Maharashtra. They reckon India is the new destination. And several delegations are expected to visit Maharashtra in next few months.”

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Miragedriver said:

The Indian Navys newly built warship INS Visakhapatnam sails into the Arabian Sea during its launch at Mazagon Dock in Mumbai, India

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INS Visakhapatnam launched April 21, 2015
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USS John Finn, DDG-113, launched MArch 31, 2015
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