Thales-BEL's Euro110m, GS-100 radar deal could be clouded by potential black-listing

[BlackSonic]

French defence avionics leader, Thales and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) have announced a deal for supply of 19 Ground Smarter GS-100 low level portable radars to the Indian Air Force. As part of the deal, Thales will build the initial six radars at its Limours facility, southwest of Paris. BEL will build the remaining 13 radars in India.
“This contract reinforces our position in the Indian region as a major supplier of air defence radars,” said Richard Deakin, Thales senior vice president and head of the air systems division. The GS 100, based on the SR3D radar platform, is a mobile, modular and multifunctional sensor designed to track complex target manoeuvres at very low altitudes. The sensor can detect and track targets up to a range of 180 km. The SR3D platform is also used in the Ground Master 400 long range radar, launched into the market in 2007.
GS-100 is a AESA radar with low-altitude search capability that can track targets up to 180 km range. The targets could range from conventional aircraft to cruise missiles, UAVs and even stealthy aircraft. The entire system can be packed into a standard ISO 20-foot shipping container and shipped by road or air. It can be deployed by a four man crew within 30 minutes.
A month after the deal was announced at the Dubai air show, Thales seems to be heading where many other international defence hardware manufactures have headed in the past. The French company may face a ban if charges of corruption are proved against them in the Scorpene submarine deal. A public interest litigation pleading for registration of a criminal case against group company Thales Avionics SA in the $3bn Scorpene submarine deal is pending before the Delhi High Court.
In a CBI enquiry last year, Thales had been given a clean chit. But it is reported that the Parliament’s Public Account Committee (PAC) is keen to probe the charges. The World Bank had blacklisted Thales from many of its projects on account of alleged bribery. In 2005, an ex-senior executive of Thales had disclosed that two per cent of the group’s revenue of $12 billion was paid as secret commissions to the powers that be in different countries.
Thales group companies have been saddled with corruption charges in Taiwan and South Africa. In 2005, a former senior executive of Thales had disclosed that two per cent of the group’s revenue of $12 billion was paid as secret commissions to the power centres in different nations to influence the out come of deals.

8ak - Indian Defence News: Thales-BEL's Euro110m, GS-100 radar deal could be clouded by potential black-listing