Tata Motors and Bharat Forge bid for FICV programme
not grant clearance. Industry estimates peg the opportunities of on going programmes for small arms in internal and national security at over Rs 3,000 crore.
Tata Motors, Bharat Forge and General Dynamics have partnered to bid for the $11 billion (Rs 78,000 crore) project to develop and build ICVs for the Indian Army under the MoD’s Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) Programme. Tata Motors have confirmed that Bharat Forge would manufacture guns, ammunition and other firepower elements of the planned Future ICV. Baba Kalyani, Chairman and MD of Bharat Forge said that Tata’s vehicle engineering expertise will be leveraged for the drive system, while General Dynamics’ extensive combat vehicle development and manufacturing experience “would also be useful.” The alliance has brought the number of bidders for the programme down to nine from ten.
On 15 February, nine Indian companies submitted proposals to the MoD for designing, developing and manufacturing a Future Infantry Combat Vehicle. The FICV is to be an amphibious, tracked, armoured vehicle, operated by a crew of only three and armed with anti-tank guided missiles, to replace the Indian Army’s fleet of 2,610 obsolete Russian BMP-2s. The ten firms that received Expressions of Interest (EoIs) for the programme from the MoD in July 2015 are Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Tata Power (Strategic Engineering Division), Tata Motors, Mahindra, Bharat Forge, Pipavav Defence, Rolta India, Punj Lloyd, Titagarh Wagons and OFB. Of these, Bharat Forge and Tata Motors have partnered ( see item in this issue), making a total of nine bidders for the project. Each of the bidders is free to tie up with a foreign technology partner for know-how and technical assistance, but the prime contractor for the programme must be Indian and the FICVs are to be built in-country. The selection process is likely to take about 12 months from the date the bids were submitted.
According to reports, the MoD will choose the two “best proposals” from the private sector bidders while the public sector Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), being a DPSU, will be automatically selected for the development phase. These three selected development agencies (DAs) will each develop a FICV prototype, with the defence ministry paying 80 per cent of the cost. The prototypes will be extensively tested and evaluated before one is selected for series production, with a requirement of 2,600 FICV projected.
Indo-China joint tactical exercises in Eastern Ladakh
The first Joint Tactical Exercise between Indian and Chinese troops was conducted in the Chushul- Moldo area on 6 February 2016 as part of ongoing initiatives being taken by India and China to ensure greater interaction between troops stationed along the LAC, to foster peace and tranquillity at the border. The exercise, Sino-India Cooperation 2016, focused on joint response to Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) situations. The Indian Army team of thirty personnel was led by Colonel Ritesh Chandra Singh, while the Chinese delegation was headed by Colonel Qu Yi. Lasting an entire day, the joint exercise was based on a situation of a national disaster occurring on the border and the subsequent coordination of rescue mission by joint teams of both countries. The exercise complements the annual Hand-in-Hand series of India-China joint exercises, and the recently conducted border troops Joint Exercise in Sikkim.
Saab and Kalyani Group announce JV
Swedish defence firm Saab and Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd ( KSSL) have announced preparations for a joint venture company in India for the Short-Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) and Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) programmes. The joint venture will be involved for production and delivery of these air defence systems to the Indian defence forces.