Aerospace outsourcing: The next wave

Washington: More than 86 per cent of US civil and military aerospace contractors, including big boys, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, are mulling joint ventures with Indian aerospace companies this year, according to the results of a survey conducted by the US Aerospace Industries Association (AIA). The association is the main lobby group for the US aerospace industry.

The survey comes hot on the foot of a first-ever trade mission to India by the association between December 3-7. The mission had executives from 13 US aerospace suppliers and major contractors, including United Technologies corporation, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Pratt and Whitney.

Commenting on the development, The Jane's Defence Weekly, a leading global defence news and analysis resource, has quoted AIA officials as saying that the purpose of the mission was to help facilitate US defence sales to the country, as well as to serve the broader effort of improving the overall strategic relationship between the two countries.

According to AIA officials, the US ability to gain entry into the Indian aerospace market would largely depend on the ability of US companies to follow through on their plans to form partnerships with small Indian businesses. They said that they would judge the success of their trade mission by whether or not US firms move ahead in developing such partnerships.