India and Japan inch closer towards signing the deal for amphibious aircraftIndia and Japan are close towards inking the deal for the Shinmaywa US-2 amphibious aircraft after the deal being stuck for more than 2 years. With the of solving various issues regarding the contract. The Japanese government has offered a significant consession of 10% of the price of each aircraft which has brought down the cost of per aircraft from $133 million to $113 million according to Defensenews . With the finalization of contract being very close India seeks to purchase these aircraft to secure it's maritime interests in the IOR (Indian Ocean Region). Since China has already rolled out it's first large amphibious aircraft the AVIC TA-600 aircraft which would be used to protect and serve it's logistical requirements. India also intends to use the US-2 aircraft for the purpose of securing the islands in the Indian ocean. The US-2 can cover a large area and can land and take-off from land or sea. With the finalization of the deal India and Japan would be heading towards a long term partnership. Lockheed martin becomes the first company to respond to the Letter of intent sent by the indian governmentLockheed Martin became the first company to respond to Indian Air Force's LOI (letter of Interest) and accept the proposal to manufacture single engine fighter jet in India under the 'Make in India' initiative. These LOIs were sent through the embassies of the respective country where the manufacturers are. This might signal the the Indian government is in favor of Government to Government (G2G) deal after the rafale debacle. The LOIs were sent to Lockheed Martin who are pitching the F-16 Super Viper (Block 70) , SAAB is pitching the Gripen and also they are offering to help with the Tejas and the AMCA. Mig corporation would be pitching the Mig-35, Boeing doesn't has a single engine fighter so they are putting the F/A-18 Super Hornet and finally the Eurofighter group for the Typhoon. RuSsian pak fa to be tested with operational engines by late 2017The Russian manufactured Sukhoi PAK FA is set be operational and handed over to the Russian Air Force by late 2017 according Russian news site Sputnik. Russia would receive it's first set of stealth fighters by 2017. The contract signed between the Russian government and the UAC (United Aircraft Corporation) which includes the transfer of five aircraft to the Russian Air force. The induction of the fifth generation aircraft would be slow due to the fact that Russia is facing economic sanctions from the western nations and due to the dipping of oil prices. Russia's rearmament program is facing the flak due to economic problems. Indian defence minister clears deal for the purchase of tactical radio sets from indiaThe army is all set to procure combat radio sets from Israeli firm Elbit . More than 4000 sets are being procured . The deal was cleared by the DAC (Defence acquisition council) meeting held on Thursday. Although the army has assured that future radio sets would be acquired from DRDO and the Israeli firm wasn't keen on sharing the source code of the radio but now the Israeli are ready to share the source codes. Now these new radios would be able operate along with future Indian sets. The deal is set to be worth around 900 crore rupees . Source Defence minister paves the way for the purchase of m-777 ultra light howitzersThe defence minister on Thursday finally cleared the deal for the purchase of 145 ultra light howitzer for the Indian army's newly raised strike corps to be posted at the India-China border and also at the Western border with Pakistan. These howitzers would be the first foreign artillery gun to enter into Indian service after the Bofors. These new guns made out of titanium making them stronger, lighter and durable, They can be airlifted to any remote location by the Chinooks which have been ordered by the Indian Air Force. The deal is worth 4500 crore rupees. AIRBUS C-295 WON'T BE REPLACING THE AN-32S OF THE INDIAN AIR FORCE According to a report by Idrw.org Chief of Indian Air Force has stated that the Airbus C-295 won't be replacing the An-32s of the Indian Air Force. The HAL-UAC joint Medium airlift military Transport Aircraft (MTA) program which was intended to replace the Antonovs is stuck in a dead end due to certain issues like the use of old PS-90 engines without FADEC (Full authority digital engine ) control. Russia earlier this year announced that the project has been frozen and only Russia will carry on with the complete development and design of the aircraft. Later during the Defence expo 2016 held in Goa Antonov offered AN-178 and AN-132 to India for the replacement of the old An-32s. Antonov also signed a joined venture with Reliance Defence limited to offer these aircraft to India.
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