sHOWnEWS DAY-3
SP’s
Wed.17 Feb. 2010
defexpo 10 I
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A LAND & NAVAL SYSTEMS EXHIBITION
SEE YOU AT HALL NO. 14, STAND NO.14.1, FEB 15-18
AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION
DEFEXPO INDIA 2010 OFFICIAL DAILY
PUBLISHERS OF: SP’S MILITARY YEARBOOK, SP’S AVIATION, SP’S AIRBUZ, SP’S LAND FORCES & SP’S NAVAL FORCES
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xx CORPORATES BULLISH ABOUT DEFENCE MARKET
to developing the critical
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Return To Arms By Vishal Thapar
We are also looking forward version of Bofors gun. The Bofors controversy has become a past. It has had many incarnations and we have seen the power of the
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SP’s EXCLUSIVE
Decks cleared for world’s largest small arms order for the Indian Army
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artillery during the Kargil war. We are proud to have it. Anand Mahindra
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Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra
he 1.1 million-strong Indian Army is seeking more firepower for its foot soldier. It has decided to replace the decade-old, indigenously developed INSAS assault rifle and the obsolete 9 mm carbine. The army is in the international arms bazaar, shopping, to begin with, for about 400,000 new generation rifles which will cost over $1.5 billion (Rs 6,900 crore). The rifle purchase could go up by as much as four times, as security planners see merit in equipping India’s 500,000-strong para-military and armed police with the same weapons later. This looks set to evolve into one of the world’s largestever purchase of rifles. Keen to get the best deal, the army is looking at a wide array of rifles available across the world (see box). The shopping list includes 218,320 assault rifles, 160,082 close-quarter battle carbines and 10,730 lightweight assault rifles for special forces. There will be three separate global tenders for each of these categories. Tenders for the assault rifles and carbines involve transfer of technology to India’s ordnance factories, where the bulk of the weapons will be manufactured. Procurement of the new rifles will be dovetailed with the Indian Army’s Future Infantry Soldier as a System (F-INSAS) programme to modernise its huge infantry. The requirement is for a more lethal, lighter weight rifle which can fire various kinds of munitions, and has high-tech gadgetry—including laser sights and night vision equipment—mounted on it. This is intended to be the Indian foot soldier’s weapon for the next two decades.
Highly-placed sources at Army Headquarters tell SP’s ShowNews that there are also operational reasons for seeking to replace the INSAS. “Our experience of using the 5.56 mm INSAS is that it often does not immobilise adversaries like terrorists, but simply Continued on page 26
Season of JVs
Raytheon ties the knot with L&T for T-72
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ROTARY RULES
AgustaWestland tie-up with Tata for chopper production
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gainst the backdrop of the milling crowds attending Defexpo 2010 at Pragati Maidan in Delhi, AgustaWestland
By Sucheta Das Mohapatra
CEO Giuseppe Oris and Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata agreed to the pact wherein a Hyderabad-based joint venture (JV) company will
be responsible for final assembly of AW119 even as AgustaWestland markets the helicopter across the world. Continued on page 6
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February 17, 2010
SP’S SHOWNEWS