30. april 2008. godine
Indija je pozvana da se pridruži projektu Eurofighter u svojstvu partnera.
Cela vest:
India is invited to join the Eurofighter programme as a new partner. This invitation was highlighted by Bernhard Gerwert, CEO of Military Air Systems, an integrated activity of EADS Defence & Security, during a high-level Eurofighter event in New Delhi on Thursday.
Gerwert said: "As part of our industrial cooperation offer, we invite India to become a member of the successful Eurofighter family. India is our partner of choice and we are interested in long-lasting political, industrial and military relations which will be based on a win-win partnership. Therefore the door is widely open for India." Gerwert explained to representatives of the Indian Ministry of Defence, the Indian Air Force, suppliers and media that the Eurofighter partners have intensive experiences in international cooperation because the combat aircraft is developed and manufactured as a quadronational programme from the very beginning.
Gerwert underlined that four nations, four air forces and the four leading European aerospace companies EADS, EADS Casa, BAE Systems and Alenia Finmeccanica fully support the Eurofighter campaign in India. Gerwert said: "We have a strong and committed international team and we will make sure that Eurofighter will be a major player in a fair and transparent competition." On behalf of the Eurofighter consortium and the industrial partners, EADS will deliver the Eurofighter bid proposal for the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition in India on 28 April 2008.
The requirements of the Request for Proposal (RFP) concerning transfer of technology, license production and 50 percent offset are challenging, however, Gerwert pointed out: "We are ready to meet these challenges and we will satisfy the expectations of our customer. Our team is working extremely hard in order to meet these requirements." As a fast growing and dynamic country, India is not only regarded as a market but most importantly as a partner for joint industrial and military projects in the future. As a recent example, EADS Defence & Security and TATA announced in February 2008 to join forces for the Indian Army's US $1 billion Tactical Communications System.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is fully operational in four countries. With more than 700 orders from six customers (Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Austria, Saudi Arabia), the Eurofighter Typhoon is a mature and stabile combat aircraft programme. Most impressive key feature of the Eurofighter Typhoon is its multi- and swing-role capability, which provides military commanders with enormous flexibility. This means that the aircraft can fly either air-to-air or air-to-ground missions or both sorties at the same time. In terms of weapons payload, the aircraft is capable of carrying six air-to-air missiles plus additional air-to-surface weapons such as Paveway II or GBU-10/-16, or external fuel tanks on seven further hard points. Another operational benefit is the installation of the electronic warfare equipment in the wing tips without sacrificing external stores capacity.
Thanks to these air-to-ground and air-to-air capabilities, the Eurofighter Typhoon has proven itself as an awesome operational weapon system which combines advanced technology with world-class performance. The combat aircraft provides highest levels of mission effectiveness for all scenarios and a broad range of mission flexibility. In addition, its air-to-air refuelling capability extends mission duration and range. Therefore, the Eurofighter Typhoon is indeed outstanding regarding its agility, capability and flexibility to meet the challenges of fast-changing operational scenarios.
Military Air Systems is an integrated activity of EADS Defence & Security (DS). DS is a systems solutions provider for armed forces and civil security worldwide. Its portfolio ranges from sensors and secure networks through missiles to aircraft and UAVs as well as global security, service and support solutions. In 2007, DS – with around 22,000 employees – achieved revenues of Ђ 5.5 billion. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2007, EADS generated revenues of Ђ 39.1 billion and employs a workforce of about 116,000.
