AERO INDIA: Airbus sole bidder for Indian AWACS project

[Triton]

"AERO INDIA: Airbus sole bidder for Indian AWACS project"
By: Atul Chandra
Bangalore February 19, 2015

AERO INDIA: Airbus sole bidder for Indian AWACS project
By: Atul Chandra
Bangalore
Source:
in 35 minutes

Airbus Defence & Space appears to have emerged as the sole bidder for a global tender put out by New Delhi's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for an "AWACS India" programme. The tender – for six airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system aircraft – was issued in March 2014.

Airbus submitted its proposal last October, an Airbus official confirms. Other sources indicate that the European company is the lone party to have responded to a request for proposals linked to the project.

Commercial bids have yet to be opened for the requirement, which is for an initial batch of two aircraft, followed by four more. Options to increase this fleet size to 10 could be exercised at a later stage.

On display on the DRDO stand at the Aero India show in Bengaluru on 18 February was a model of an Airbus A330 fitted with a radome. Officials at the display did not provide any further information about the programme.

Airbus would have to integrate the mission systems on the aircraft and gain certification that it is safe to fly with the radome. The airframer says it has been busy replying to Indian queries on technical aspects of the programme. “It is not an easy programme, and we have to do it with fully civilian certification, as requested by DRDO,” the company source says.

If a contract is signed for the A330 as the platform for the Indian AWACS effort, it will be the first instance of the type being used in the AEW&C role. Airbus Defence & Space has also been involved in jointly reviewing New Delhi's indigenously developed AEW&C system with India's Centre for Airborne Systems, with the first Embraer EMB-145-based example likely to secure initial operational clearance later this year.

Meanwhile, Airbus is waiting for a decision on India's planned contract for its A330 multirole tanker transport, having agreed to further extend the validity of its bid until 1 July. New Delhi runs the risk of encountering a cost escalation if further delays are encountered beyond this date.

It has been more than three years since the A330 was first chosen to meet the Indian air force's tanker requirements, with a planned acquisition of six of the type.

 

[Triton]

Thursday, February 19, 2015

"Avro-style 'Situation' Hits Indian AWACS Effort"

Source:
http://www.livefistdefence.com/2015/02/widebody-war-looming-for-indian-awacs.html

A competition lies ahead for the supply of six widebody jets for India's reloaded AWACS programme, an effort that looks provide the Indian Air Force with six platforms initially. Except, not really. The model above of the DRDO AWACS, appearing in public for the first time, depicts the proposed system as being based on an Airbus A330 platform with the integrated 10-metre antenna radome. And DRDO hasn't missed the irony.

There's a reason: when the programme was revived some years ago, the DRDO had conducted an internal study and decided that the Airbus jet was what they wanted (based in part on the IAF's selection of the Airbus A330 MRTT as its next tanker), though it was rapidly made clear that the field for widebodies was unrestricted, and that the DRDO needed to tender for those six jets. And that's what it began doing in March last year.

The DRDO then issued an RFP in October 2014. And as with the Avro replacement programme, a sole bid has dropped in. Again, from Airbus for the A330. The competition originally looked like it could potentially have been a face-off between the Airbus A330 (Airbus has responded to the RFI) and the Boeing 767, though the latter is understood to have chosen not to respond. Word is Russia's United Aircraft Corp. could also send out feelers on the Il-76MD-90A as a potential platform for the AWACS, though it remains unclear if it still has a chance. Either way, the situation now is single source, very much like the Airbus/Tata bid for the Avro replacement.

Senior scientists at the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) I spoke to here at Aero India 2015 said fabrication of the 10 metre antenna was progressing well, and that there could be movement on data link and communication systems and electronics this year.

The IAF is looking to operate at least 15 AWACS aircraft. It currently has three Il-76 based PHALCON platforms and will soon sign up for two more.

 

[TomS]

So reading these reports, I understand that there are at least three active AEW&C development or acquisition programs for the IAF

1) A330 AWACS

2) Il-76 PHALCON

3) EMB-145

Yikes! Talk about a procurement mess.

 

[DFC]

1. 3 IL-76 based L-band PHALCON are already operational. Two more will be ordered soon.


2. EMB-145 based AEW&C is the indigenous effort. Two of which will be inducted into the Air force this year (are already undergoing trials). This has a S-Band AESA primary radar. A third is under integration in Brazil. This is obviously smaller and has a slightly different role from the PHALCON.


3. AWACS India program which is 5-7 years away ( Indian PHALCON equivalent which has just begun development) may use the A-330 as a platform because of commonality with the A-330 MRTT that the IAF is also buying.

 

[Grey Havoc]

A drastic change in the prevailing winds: http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160801/1043832337/india-russia-contract.html

 

[Moose]

Not unheard of, but still gonna need a source other than Sputnik before I believe that.

 

[kaiserd]

A drastic change in the prevailing winds: http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160801/1043832337/india-russia-contract.html

The source is far from the most legit but we'll see (India military may decide less good tankers in the short-medium better than a better tanker in long term/never).
Considering there's also plenty of issues with existing India-Russia arms deals too don't think you'll see India swear off Western types too soon.

 

[Hood]

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/new-delhi-backs-down-from-a330-mrtt-deal-428096/

I suspect its probably a temporary move due to budget constraints. Indian defence purchases seem to take years to get anywhere.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Any sign of this being revived?