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Boeing vies for share in Indian defence market
New Delhi, Dec 1 (UNI)

Expecting the Indian defence market to grow to 10-15 billion dollars over the next decade, US aerospace firm Boeing today said it was looking to sell different aircraft and equipment, besides cooperate with local firms on production front in the next few years.
‘‘We also hope to source some products and include India in our global suppliers chain... and sell these products to other countries’’, Boeing Integrated Defence Systems (IDS) President and CEO Jim Albaugh said here.
Boeing IDS is pushing several of its products and services to India and is participating in the IAF’s quest for 125 multi-role combat aircraft with its F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters.
Also on offer to the Indian Navy is the P-8A multi-mission maritime aircraft, besides the heavy-lift Chinook CH-47F helicopters and T-45 naval training systems.
Observing that India would be a major customer for Boeing in the coming years, Albaugh said: ‘‘Though we do not generate any revenue from India right now, we expect a 10-15 billion dollar market to grow (in India) over the next ten years.
‘‘Asia is our biggest customer with countries like Japan, Singapore and China being our major customers’’.
Maintaining that Boeing had entered the competition for IAF’s multi-role combat aircraft, he said the company has recently made a capability presentation for the anti-submarine P-8A maritime planes for the Indian Navy.
Demonstrations have also been planned for the Chinook helicopters for the IAF, he said.

On the T-45 Naval Training System being offered to the navy, the Boeing IDS CEO said Indian naval pilots were currently being trained with the US Navy on the system.
The T-45 system is a totally integrated training system which includes Goshawk trainer aircraft, advanced flight simulators, computer-assisted instructional and training programme.
He said the Boeing P-81 multi-mission aircraft, a variant of the US Navy’s P-8A maritime warplane, was ‘‘currently under consideration by the Defence Ministry for India’s maritime requirement’’.
The P-8A is a long-range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, intelligence and surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft capable of broad area, maritime and littoral operations. The system uses a Boeing 737-800 platform.
Maintaining that Boeing IDS was planning to work with Indian public and private sector firms in varied defence and aerospace areas, Albaugh said about 40 Indian firms recently participated in a Boeing suppliers’ conference.
Exuding confidence at India’s capabilities, he said while there would be a large requirement of defence equipment from the Indian armed forces, both state-owned and private firms would play a major role in this along with Boeing.
‘‘We will be cooperating with large (Indian) engineering companies to small and niche ones’’, he said.