Frontline weapons for India: After Lockheed, it's Raytheon's turn

New Delhi: Hot on the heels of American aerospace major, Lockheed Martin, dropping a bombshell that its formidable shipboard missile system, the Aegis, and also possibly, its anti-ballistic missile defence system, may be made available for the Indian defence services, its now the turn of another major American defence vendor, Raytheon, to step forward and offer its top-of-the-line weapons systems to India.

Admiral (Retd) Walter F Doran, President, Asia Sales, said "Raytheon wants to introduce American missiles, space systems and other frontline technologies to Indian armed forces." According to reports, Adm. Doran hinted that the company did not expect any hold ups in the transfer of top-of-the line weapons technology to India.

Acknowledging the fact that the business of the company currently did not amount to much, he was however confident about future sales. "The present business of the company in India is around $30 million, but in the next five years we foresee India as our largest growth market," Adm. Doran said here.

Analysts now infer that probable sales could easily translate into billion of dollars.

Raytheon's products include a wide range of missiles, ranging from the Patriot II missile shield, SLAMRAAM missiles (surface launched (SL)AMRAAM air defence system - also known as the Complementary Low Altitude Weapon) for cruise missile interception, to formidable air missile systems like the AMRAAMs (advanced medium range air-to-air missiles) and AIM-9M sidewinder air-to-air missiles, which, reportedly, have yet to miss a kill in combat.

Though the Indian armed forces are currently stocked with Russian and European weapon systems, Adm. Doran said that the American armament companies, though late entrants, would make the Indian defence market more competitive and technology oriented.

Admiral Doran is a former commander-in-chief of the US Pacific Command.

According to the admiral, Raytheon was closely following the issue of international tenders by India for the purchase of 126 medium range combat aircraft. Raytheon's interest in the tender would arise from the fact that is the main mission system integrator for two major US fighter manufacturers, Lockheed-Martin and Boeing, who are among six global companies gunning for the contract - possibly the biggest ever tender floated by the country.

Raytheon is also the main armament provider, including all air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and precision bombs for both Lockheed's F-16 Falcon as well as Boeing's F-18/A Hornet.

Responding to queries about the recent supply of Raytheon manufactured Sidewinder and AMRAAM air-to-air missiles to Pakistan, which has provided its air force with beyond-visual-range (BVR) combat capability for the first time ever, Adm. Doran said that the sale was on a government-to-government basis, in which the company had no say.

"It was a sale under FMS and Pentagon supplied the missiles from their stockpiles", he said. Sidewinders and AMRAAMs arm the F-16 Fighting Falcons.

The Bush administration recently cleared the sales of a fresh batch of these aircraft to Pakistan.