Bengaluru: A day after the cabinet cleared the setting up of a Center of Excellence in Aerospace and Defence in the city, the state government signed an MoU with Dassault Systems, a pioneer in aerospace and defence maintenance, to help it take off.
The government also entered into an MoU with the Institut Aeronautique et Spatial (IAS), a non-profit organisation of Toulouse, France, engaged in designing and implementing training solutions for professionals in the aeronautic and space sectors.
Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, IT, BT and Tourism Minister, Priyank Kharge said the Center of Excellence in Aerospace and Defence would be established at VTU, in collaboration with Dassault Systems, which would provide the logistics for the project. While it would contribute Rs 250.93 crore of the total project cost of Rs 288.68 crore, the state government would provide Rs 33.46 crore and VTU, Rs 4.29 crore.
The minister said besides being an IT, BT and technology hub, Karnataka was keen on engaging in technology of the future. “The Indian aerospace industry is one of the fasted growing sectors. But although the country has several aerospace related institutions, it does not have an adequate maintenance facility for aerospace equipment both in the civil and defence sectors. As a result even minor maintenance of a civil aircraft is done in Singapore. We need to develop maintenance skills within the country and so a 1000 acres have been earmarked near the Kempegowda International Airport for the facility,” he added.
Dassault Systems’ director for India, Mr Samson Khaou said the centre aimed to train around 1600 personnel every year. “We will have a multi-throng curriculum, varying from three months to two years. The trainees will range from engineering students to professionals,” he explained.
IAS Toulouse Managing Director, Pierre Valenti, recalled that they were already training around 200 personnel every year from organisations like ISRO, DRDO, HAL and BEML.
Saab’s swedish boost to Tejas?
A high-level team from Sweden’s Saab Group’s Defence and Security (India) briefed the media on Thursday at their stall in Aero India ’17 and suggested their systems were state-of-the art. Bo Almqvist, Vice President, Strategic Business Project Dynamics, Saab India said, “What we are offering the Indian government is state of-the-art.”
A Saab spokesperson insisted that Saab was actively offering Advanced Electronically Scanning Array (AESA) Radar and a highly potent electronic warfare suite for the LCA Tejas MK1A version.
The spokesperson insisted that any knowhow gained from the offer of an AESA radar for Tejas could easily be disseminated into the Gripen fighter plane if India offers to buy the aircraft.
Saab is offering an array of air defence systems including the Giraffe 1x radar. “People have expressed interest in the Giraffe radar,” a Saab spokesman said but declined to name the customer for the system.
Saab is offering the RB-70 to the Indian army for its Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) to the Indian Army, which is intent on replacing its Soviet era SA-18 Igla air defence systems. The Navy and IAF may also consider it said the spokesperson.
RBS 70/NG – SAAB’s RBS 70 system is a MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defence System) is designed for anti-aircraft warfare in all sorts of climatic conditions and requires minimal or no support from other forces. Designed and developed originally by Bofors the system is now manufactured by Saab Group’s Group’s Defence and Security subsidiary Originally designed and manufactured by the Swedish defence firm of Bofors Defence (now Saab Bofors Dynamics, since 2000), it uses the RB 70 missile which is also in use in a number of other Swedish missile systems.
