While BAE Systems secured a 500-million pound contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to supply products and services for 57 more Hawks, Rolls Royce inked a separate 200 million pounds deal with the HAL to supply its Adour engines for these trainers.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by visting British Prime Minister David Cameron, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Chairman and Managing Director Ashok Nayak and Home Minister V S Acharya.
Of the 57 Hawks to be manufactured at HAL’s facility, 40 would be inducted into IAF and 17 into the Navy, BAE System Managing Director and Chief Executive (India) Andrew Gallagher told reporters.
Cameron said: “I am delighted to witness the agreement between HAL and BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce. This is an outstanding example of India-UK defence and industrial partnership, and this agreement will bring significant economic benefits to both the countries. It is evidence of our new, commercial foreign policy in action.”
The British Prime Minister is also likely to throw in his weight behind Eurofighter Typhoon – one of the aircraft in the mammoth seven-billion pound (Rs 42,000 crore) deal to buy 126 fighters. BAE System is a part of the consortium, EADS, that manufactures Typhoon.
The Hawk will be powered by Rolls Royce's Mk871 variant of the Adour which will be assembled in Bangalore in partnership with HAL.
Bitter experience
Inking of the deal means both HAL and BAE have been able to iron out the bitter differences among them following the crash of a Hawk in Bidar in 2008.
HAL accused the British firm for supplying poor quality equipment delaying the indigenous production.
Wednesday’s agreement to supply Hawk trainer aircraft to India follows on from a previous agreement in 2004 to supply 66 Hawk aircraft to India.
DH News Service