EADS offers India participation in futuristic defence projects

Berlin: European aerospace consortium, EADS, on Tuesday invited India to be a part of its supersonic jet trainer programme as well as other futuristic projects, such as unmanned aerial and undersea vehicles. It also repeated an earlier offer to make India a partner in its prestigious Eurofighter programme, saying it would help Indian companies enhance their skills in the aviation field.

EADS has bid for the Indian Air Force's (IAF) mega fighter tender for 126 medium range multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA). Last month, at the time of submitting its bid for the MMRCA programme, EADS had offered to make India a partner country in the prestigious project if it should be given the contract. In such an eventuality India would become only the fifth country, and the first outside Europe, to be a partner nation in the construction and development of a fifth-generation high-technology fighter aircraft.

Speaking at the Berlin air show, EADS officials provided the example of Spain, saying that this country had design capabilities only for propeller and jet aircraft when  it had joined the Eurofighter programme. Ever since it has boosted its aviation capabilities considerably. "This encourages us to invite India to join the project," said Christian Albert, a senior official at the EADS.

Albert said that the consortium is also ready to include India in its supersonic jet trainer programme and other futuristic projects, such as unmanned aerial and undersea vehicles. "India would be interested to jump into these. This is one topic that would be discussed with respect to offsets," Albert said.

Offsets are crucial element of the $11 billion dollar-plus mega tender for the IAF fighters and the six competitors in the race are exploring ways to ensure that 50 per cent of the contract value is generated within India.

Those in the race include American defence and aerospace majors, Boeing and Lockheed Martin Russian design bureau MiG RAC, French aerospace giant Dassault and Swedish major Saab.

India has made it clear that the mandatory offset percentage of 30 per cent may be exceeded for this deal, and be pegged at 50 per cent instead.