Defence cooperation, particularly under the ‘Make in
India’ initiative, will be high on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda
in France and Germany during his European sojourn beginning on April 9.
The
Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is scheduled to meet on Saturday
ahead of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s visit to Japan starting on
Sunday. Several issues connected to the two visits are on the agenda
along with the upgrade of Russian-built Kamov helicopters of the Navy.
While
the focus in France will largely be on the over $20 billion deal for
126 Rafale fighter aircraft under the multi-role combat aircraft
contest, which both sides have been negotiating since 2012, there are a
few other big ticket deals on the table.
France will
press for the conclusion of the $6 billion ‘Maitri’ project for
co-development and production of Short Range Surface to Air Missiles.
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signed a memorandum
of understanding with MBDA of France in 2013, but there has hardly been
any movement since.
Several Defence Ministry
officials feel that this deal is unnecessary as it directly competes
with the DRDO’s Akash system. “The Maitri project can go on, but we want
the missiles, and Akash is serving that purpose,” a senior Defence
Ministry official said earlier.
The other issue
pertains to single vendor situation involving Airbus in two projects.
One is the Avro aircraft replacement programme and the second is
aircraft for the indigenous Air Borne Warning and Control Systems
(AWACS) programme under development by DRDO.
In addition, France is also keen to expand defence engagement by taking up joint projects under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
In
Berlin, the focus will be on how Germany can play a bigger role in
‘Make in India’ in general and defence in particular which was
emphasised by German officials on several occasions.
thehindu
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