“Capital follows confidence” as defence courts private money
Outside investment and the direction in which venture money flows may reveal what defence will buy years before formal programmes begin.
CFM International has formally opened its new CFM56 training centre in Hyderabad, the fourth such engine maintenance training centre for CFM56 customers worldwide.
The new facility has the capacity to train 500 engineers annually and mirrors those in China, France, and the United States.
There are currently more than 500 CFM56 engines in service in India and southern Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka, powering Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft. The first students are scheduled to begin training in the week commencing 8 March 2010.
This new training centre, which will be fully certified by the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), will represent an investment of approximately $15 million by CFM over the next decade, including initial start-up costs.
“It gives me great pleasure to open this new CFM56 training centre on behalf of CFM,” remarked Eric Bachelet, president and CEO of CFM International. “We felt that Hyderabad in general, and the Rajiv Gandhi Airport in particular, was the logical location for this new facility. The area is rapidly establishing itself as a regional leader for excellence in aviation and we are proud to be part of it. This CFM facility will provide extensive maintenance training that we believe is simply unequalled in the region.”
The newest CFM56 training centre will provide advanced hands-on courses in line maintenance and borescope inspection for CFM56-7B and CFM56-5B engines, which power Boeing 737NGs and the Airbus A320 family, respectively. In addition to Indian operators, the facility will also provide training to students from such nearby regions as the Gulf states, the Middle East, and Far Eastern countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Outside investment and the direction in which venture money flows may reveal what defence will buy years before formal programmes begin.
The Department of National Defence expects initial contracts to deliver thousands of uncrewed systems, but has yet to establish the quantities, capability mix or deadline behind Ottawa’s promised tenfold expansion.
The company told Shephard that Ukraine is operating modified Protector weapon stations originally supplied for armoured vehicles, with human operators authorising engagements from hundreds of kilometres away.
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.