Dasa Targets Iaf Fighters For Revamp

German aeronautics giant Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA) is targeting the defense aircraft upgradation business in India, posing a challenge to Russian and Israeli firms.

The defense ministry is likely to invite global bids for upgrading the MiG-27 and MiG-29 series of fighters besides the Jaguar, Mirage-2000 and Sea Harrier aircraft at an estimated cost of Rs 1,500 crore. The upgradation projects are expected to be initiated during the next financial year and will be the biggest exercise in mid-life upgradation of Indian aircraft.

DASA, with its experience in upgrading Russian MiG-29 planes and in building the state-of-art military plane Eurofighter (developed by leading European Union members), is expected to enter the fray. A member of the Airbus consortium, DASA will also enter the fray to convert old Indian Airlines and Air India aircraft into freighters and military transport aircraft.

 

Besides DASA, the Russian MiG-MAPO and Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) are also in the race for the Indian Air Forces upgradation projects. Defense sources said they have not tendered for any upgradation contracts. The upgradation contract for MiG-21 was awarded to MiG-MAPO two years ago.

A DASA release said its military aircraft unit which takes up new aircraft and upgradation projects completed a project to add new components to the Greek Phantom fleet, NATOs airborne early warning planes and the Thunderbolt aircraft of the US air force.

Defense sources said upgradation would mean adding new avionics, weapon bays, navigation and guidance systems. This was an expensive and time consuming exercise and would involve close coordination of the IAF with the foreign company.

They said western firms like DASA were expensive compared to IAI and the Russians. Since upgrading with sophisticated equipment was a cheaper alternative than buying new planes, many countries prefer to take up the former option.

A mid-life upgrade would extend the life of the fighter to 15 or 20 years. If the Indian MiG-29 aircraft were upgraded, they will be combat ready till the end of the first quarter of the next century.

The sources said the Defense Research and Development Organisation would get closely involved in any upgradation programme, by offering to supply some of the components of the upgradation project. Under an unwritten rule of the global aeronautics trade, the contract winner spends 30 per cent of the contract value in the host country through component purchase.