France and Airbus eye up Indian defence deals
The Indian Air Force received delivery of the first of 56 C-295 transporters in 2023. (Photo: Airbus)
India has kickstarted an ambitious procurement process on a number of defence platforms for its Armed Forces with Airbus and France likely to be the main contenders for contract wins.
India’s defence industry has received a boost as the country’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh, cleared the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) – the first step in the procurement process – for capital acquisition proposals late last week. At the top of the list was the delayed and overdue procurement of 15 Medium-range Maritime Reconnaissance (MRMR) and Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard.
In 2021, the Indian Air Force contracted a collaboration between Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) and Airbus Defence and Space for 56 C-295 transporters with the first delivered last
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