PTI, New Delhi : With the Defence Ministry wanting more than Rs 25,000 crore outlay for armament acquisitions, International weapons majors are making an unprecedented beeline for the 4th Indian Defence Expo begining here on February four.
Major armament companies like Raytheon, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing from US, DCN international, Dassault from France, British Aerospace and Rolls Royce from UK and a number of companies from South Africa, Israel, Germany and Sweden have confirmed participation in the four-day expo, which would be inaugurated by Defence Minister George Fernandes.
Leading the pack are the Israeli defence industries, which have over the past three years bagged contracts worth more than two billion dollars selling to India, the Travor range of infantry arms, high and medium altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, in which Tel Aviv is the world leader, as well as anti-infiltration devices like unattended ground sensors.
More than 300 companies from 11 countries will take part in this years four-day international expo. The United Kingdom, which recently bagged the lucrative Rs 800 crore Advanced Jet Trainer contract, will have the largest participation of over 37 companies followed by Israel, South Africa and France.
The Expo will have ministerial and senior level official defence delegations from more than 20 countries. “This is going to be the biggest ever exhibition of land and naval weapons systems in India,” according to Squadron Leader Rajesh Dhingra, Joint Director of the Defence Expo 2004.
With India bidding to buy 400 more upgraded 155MM artillery guns, the Swedish SWS Defence AB and FFV ordinance are displaying their upgraded calibre 52 155MM guns, which in recent two rounds of field trials by the Indian army upstaged the guns from Denel of South Africa and Soltam from Israel.
Dhingra said this years show was a sellout with the confirmation by more than 300 companies from 15 countries with the exhibition area having been expanded to 18,000 square metres. The expo is being co-hosted by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
With the new breakthrough achieved by passing on transfer of technology (TOT) for some weapons systems to the private sector, there had been an unprecedented rush for space from private companies with as many 73 of them confirming participation.
A Tata company, Nelco recently bagged the TOT contract for assembling in India of the Israeli unattended sensors, while another Tata concern, Tata power along with state-owned DRDO is making launcher system for the indigenous 40 kms strike-range Multi Barrel Rocket System, Pinaka.
The private sector interest has been fuelled by Fernandes recent statement in Parliament that Government was keen to allow more TOT to private sector on system like manufacture of 64MM Multi Rocket launcher system SMERCH, new weapons system like 64MM rocket launchers, Anti-Material and sniper rifles and other such systems.
