India sets the ball rolling for Rs 13,000 crore IAF deal

[EXPERIMENT]

India seems to be rolling a lot of balls nowadays!! This in spite of the fact that our politicians and bureaucrats don't have any!!

You probably have no Idea what your politicians have done. Yes you have a right to question them. But how much do you value your life? politicians know the worth of their life.

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

Jab aa jayega tab celebrate karunga

 

[jha]

Here is Sengupta's take on the issue. Frankly speaking even I have doubts about RFP issued to LM.. Everything will be clear on completion of competition.

As for the latest RFP released for replacing the HS-748 Avros, the frontrunner for this competition is Lockheed Martin’s C-130J Hercules, which, once ordered, will be licence-assembled by TATA most probably in Hyderabad. Almost everyone who has recently commented or reported about the HS-748 replacement has WRONGLY assumed that the IAF wants a 50-seater. In reality, a closer examination of the RFP reveals the fact that these 56 aircraft are required primarily for routine ferrying of personnel belonging to the CAPFs & for disaster-relief operations in support of the National Disaster Management Authority. And given the steady rise in the number of CAPF battalions & the ever increasing demands for catering to various internal security operations, what better platform than the C-130J! Long gone are the days when only companies of CAPFs were reqd for internal security tasks. Today, the need is for airlifting one entire battalion within 12 hours. If the C-130J is procured, then the OEM (Lockheed Martin) will find it all the more attractive to have a JV with TATA for setting up an authorised MRO facility based in India for conducting depot-level maintenance of the C-130H/J family of transports, which is a huge business since more than 100 C-130Hs belonging to the USAF, US Navy & US Coast Guard are presently operational throughout East & Southeast Asia & all of them require periodic MRO support.

 

[Matrixx]

Good to see ...India got balls to roll

 

[sancho]

Here is Sengupta's take on the issue. Frankly speaking even I have doubts about RFP issued to LM.. Everything will be clear on completion of competition.

The usual speculations, based only on the JV of LM and Tata to produce certain parts of the C130, but it's neither ever mentioned to be part of the competition, nor as offered by TATA. Infact LM has mentioned to establish a production line in India, if we go for the Sea Hercules for IN, or possibly ICG.

Moreover:

In reality, a closer examination of the RFP reveals the fact that these 56 aircraft are required primarily for routine ferrying of personnel belonging to the CAPFs & for disaster-relief operations in support of the National Disaster Management Authority.

Which shows that the aircrafts have no tactical aims, but are meant for normal troop or cargo transport missions. Here cost-efficiency is the key, not payload or even specialised cargo hold fittings and capabilities and even IF IAF would consider such an aircraft class, why would be go for a licence produced foreign aircraft with restictions, instead of the co-developed MTA?