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| Saab |
Eyeing multi-billion deal, Saab offers full
technology transfer of Gripen-E fighter jet to India
Swedish defence giant Saab Group said today it would
ensure "full" technology transfer of its Gripen-E fighter jet to
India if the company gets the contract to supply a fleet of the single engine
combat aircraft to Indian Air Force.
By: PTI |
New Delhi | Published: November 22, 2017 6:02 PM
Swedish defence giant Saab Group said today it would
ensure “full” technology transfer of its Gripen-E fighter jet to India if the
company gets the contract to supply a fleet of the single engine combat
aircraft to Indian Air Force. The company also said it will build the world’s
most modern aerospace facility in India, besides creating a local supplier base
of ancillary systems, if it wins the contract for which US defence major
Lockheed Martin has emerged as a major contender. “Saab is committed to full
technology transfer to India in connection with Indian procurement of
Gripen-E,” Saab India Chairman Jan Widerstrom said. Eyeing the multi-billion
dollar contract, Lockheed Martin has offered to set up a production line in
India for its F-16 Block 70 fighter jets. In September, Saab and the Adani
Group had announced a collaboration in defence manufacturing entailing billions
of dollars of investment and said the joint venture would produce Gripen
military jets in India if it wins the single-engine aircraft deal. The
Gripen-E, an advanced version of the Gripen C/D, is a light single-engine
multirole fighter aircraft fitted with advanced avionics.
“We will build the world’s most modern aerospace facility
and ecosystem in India. We will abide by the terms of the Strategic Partnership
that would be set by the government for the single engine fighter aircraft
programme and will undertake complete transfer of technology to the chosen
joint venture partner,” Widerstrom said in a statement. His comments came as
government is all set to start the process for procuring the fleet of
single-engine fighters. The fighter jets will have to be produced jointly by a foreign
aircraft maker along with an Indian company under the recently launched
strategic partnership model which seeks to bring in high-end defence technology
to India.
The Saab said it will work with its Indian joint venture
partners to ensure that transfer of technology takes place in a manner that it
not only ensures transfer of technology but also complete capability. It said
the company sees a green field operation where it will train people in India
and in Sweden to be able to design, develop, manufacture and maintain its
operations in India. “There will be a lot of training in Sweden and in India,
and industry-academia-government cooperation. In that way we can reach an
indigenous capability to maintain, to sustain, to further develop Gripen in India,”
said the Saab India chief. He said, “We will not simply move an assembly line.
We will build development capability. We will design, produce, support,
innovate in India.”
Original post: financialexpress.com
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