UK defence equipment manufacturer BAE is looking beyond aerospace joint ventures in India, with plans to enter the shipbuilding sector as well.
Systems India, subsidiary of the BAE Systems, is planning a foray into shipbuilding besides expanding operations in India with more joint ventures and partnerships, a top company official told FE.
“We are open to shipbuilding and will explore it. Our team will start working on it from the year end,” Julian Scopes, the newly appointed president of BAE Systems India, said. “Infact a high level team from the ship building sector of the company will be visiting India shortly, and has an open agenda where we can seek cooperation with both public and private ship building companies.
“At the BAE we are willing to share our international experiences and expertise in the ship building and are open to areas of cooperation in design partnership, and future designs. We also want to share the technology used in the Type 45 Daring Class Anti-Air
Warfare Destroyers currently in the backbone Royal Navy which based on the principle of “Design for Build”, “Design for Cost” and “Design for Support”.” BAE has a partnership with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in Bangalore since 1983. Even though the government recently rejected the joint venture of 51:49 between Mahindra and Mahindra and BAE for building armoured vehicles in India, Scopes said that, “There has to be an economic incentive for a company to bring in their crown jewels.”
“We are prepared to invest our money and grow in India. For the company competion is not just restricted to specific programmes but specific sectors: like shipbuilding, artillery or armoured vehicles,” he added.
BAE is also working on more partnerships with the state-owned Indian firms involved in defence research and development. “We want to expand in India. We are now limited to selling Hawks and linked to other smaller programmes concerning defence sector,” Scopes said.
Systems India, subsidiary of the BAE Systems, is planning a foray into shipbuilding besides expanding operations in India with more joint ventures and partnerships, a top company official told FE.
“We are open to shipbuilding and will explore it. Our team will start working on it from the year end,” Julian Scopes, the newly appointed president of BAE Systems India, said. “Infact a high level team from the ship building sector of the company will be visiting India shortly, and has an open agenda where we can seek cooperation with both public and private ship building companies.
“At the BAE we are willing to share our international experiences and expertise in the ship building and are open to areas of cooperation in design partnership, and future designs. We also want to share the technology used in the Type 45 Daring Class Anti-Air
Warfare Destroyers currently in the backbone Royal Navy which based on the principle of “Design for Build”, “Design for Cost” and “Design for Support”.” BAE has a partnership with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in Bangalore since 1983. Even though the government recently rejected the joint venture of 51:49 between Mahindra and Mahindra and BAE for building armoured vehicles in India, Scopes said that, “There has to be an economic incentive for a company to bring in their crown jewels.”
“We are prepared to invest our money and grow in India. For the company competion is not just restricted to specific programmes but specific sectors: like shipbuilding, artillery or armoured vehicles,” he added.
BAE is also working on more partnerships with the state-owned Indian firms involved in defence research and development. “We want to expand in India. We are now limited to selling Hawks and linked to other smaller programmes concerning defence sector,” Scopes said.
