DTN News: India's Defexpo 2010 To Attract 650 Companies

DTN News: India's Defexpo 2010 To Attract 650 Companies *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI, India - February 12, 2010: The United States, represented by 25 companies, will be the biggest exhibitor at Defexpo 2010, the biannual exhibition of Land and Naval systems to be held here Feb. 15-18.The Pinaka project has been a significant success for the DRDO and its development partners in developing and delivering a state of the art, high value project to the Indian Army's demanding specifications. Whilst DRDO was responsible for the overall design and development, its partners played a significant role in developing important subsystems and components. They include TATA Power Co. Ltd. Strategic Electronic Division (Tata Power SED)and Larsen & Toubro Ltd. to state owned Ordnance Factory Board, for the rockets as well as other private and public firms. The first Pinaka regiment was raised on February 2000. Each regiment consists of three batteries of six Pinakas each, plus reserves. On March 29, 2006, the Indian Army awarded Tata Power SED and Larsen & Toubro's Heavy Engineering Division a contract worth Rs 200 crore (US $45 million), to produce 40 Pinaka MBRLs each. Tata Power SED declared that it would be delivering the first units within six months. The Indian Army has placed an indent for Pinaka Weapon System worth Rs 1300 crores.

Israel, which has emerged as a leading supplier of weaponry and equipment to the Indian defense forces since 1999, will occupy the largest exhibit space at 1,248 square meters.

Defexpo 2010 is the 6th Land and Naval Defence Systems exhibition organized by the Indian Defence Ministry, and will cover nearly twice the exhibit space - 30,100 square meters - compared with the 17,200 square meters in the 2008 show. About 650 defense companies from 35 countries will display weapons and equipment, hoping to make sales to an Indian military expected to spend about $100 billion during the next 15 years. "India is aiming at better partnerships between foreign defense original equipment manufacturers and domestic state-owned and private companies to increase the manufacturing and system integration of both land and naval systems during Defexpo 2010," said Raj Kumar Singh, India's permanent defense production secretary. Singh claimed that the four-day event will be the largest defense exposition in Asia and will showcase India's emergence as an attractive investment destination for the defense sector and promote industry alliances and joint ventures. India imports nearly 70 percent of its weapons and equipment. Forty percent of its annual budget of about $30 billion goes for new procurement, while the larger share goes toward paying salaries and pensions of the 1.2 million defense force. Indian defense planners are drafting a plan to prepare the military for conflict with Pakistan and China that could increase defense spending by 20 percent, said a senior Indian Defence Ministry official. Planned Army equipment purchases include 155mm guns on a fast-track basis, air defense systems and a variety of helicopters, the senior Indian Defence Ministry official said. The Air Force is likely to finalize the $10 billion purchase of 126 fighter jets under the medium-range multirole combat aircraft program. The Navy will put into orbit a dedicated military satellite in 2010, and enter the global market for the purchase of six more submarines worth $5 billion. India's most ambitious homegrown aircraft program, the Light Combat Aircraft, awaits a final decision on which engine will power it. The choice is between General Electric's GE 414 and Eurojet's EJ 2000.