Posted on 11/17/2016 5:51:17 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
ST LOUIS: Proposing the setting up of a new, futuristic factory for an upcoming Make in India fighter program, Boeing has said that it is in talks with multiple Indian stakeholders to gear it for the production of the indigenous advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA).
Detailing its plan for the Make in India contest – India wants to produce 100-200 fighters domestically with technology transfer to meet deficiencies in the fleet – Boeing has said that it is in talks with several Indian companies to select a partner but the final decision would depend on the government’s strategic partnership model.
"We are not talking about moving an existing line to India but about setting up a brand new factory that will have all the lessons that we have learnt over time. We will bring the best of modern manufacturing capabilities to make a 21st century factory. It will be capable of producing future platforms as well," Dan Gillian, Vice President of the F/A 18 Program says.
Presenting an advanced version of the F/A 18 Super Hornet, top Boeing officials have said that commonalities like an advanced version of the GE 414 engine to produce 18 percent greater thrust makes it the suitable path to the AMCA. "We have had multiple stake holder discussions (on the AMCA) that includes the DRDO as well," Gillian said adding that the US government is on board with the proposal to create a new generation fighter factory in India.
Pitching the Super Hornet as frontline US fighter that will be in service till the 2040s, Boeing says that it is also the most economical fighter with the US armed forces and costs less to fly per hour than any other tactical aircraft in service.
An advanced version of the Super Hornet is also under development that could potentially include conformal fuel tanks to give it an extended range of 120 nautical miles, enhanced engines and upgrades to the AESA radar that is the heart of the fighter’s combat system. The enhanced engine in particular is being showcased as a major advantage for the Indian AMCA plan.
In the first detailed presentation on its Make in India offer for the F/A 18, Boeing shared its future production plan in India that aims to maximize indigenous content and bring in aerostructures, engine, avionics production and final assembly into India.
India has shown interest in producing a single engine fighter under the make in India initiative and there are indications that a program to make twin engine jets is also on the anvil. The fighters are needed in the 2020-2025 time frame as the air force will see a major depletion of its combat fleet due to the de induction of MiG fighters that have reached the end of their service life.
(This Correspondent is in St Louis on the invitation of the Boeing Company)
Read more at: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/55473572.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
I’m still trying to decipher the “word-salad” in the headline...
I THINK I’ve got it.
Will India be able to sustain the manufacturing and engineering environment necessary to do this?
I think it has a karma problem. Literally. Not necessarily as fatalistic as Islam, but maybe closer than we might think.
We in America, or even the traditional Western world, often give spiritual Christianity short shrift when evaluating what has led to its successes. But it matters, and has long mattered.
Evangelization in India would be what it needs to really take off like a rocket. I didn’t say preaching cultural Christianity. It can find no real home in Hinduism. I mean full on spiritual evangelization.
Now Boeing can have manufacturing and tech support in the same place.
Surprisingly, yes. I suspect India will be able to manage this. They already have a fair amount of aviation engineering experience. They’ve been running a refurb factory for Russian fighter jet engines for years (probably more than one; I’m only aware of the one near the city I used to live in). They build their own rockets and cruise missiles, and they generally work. They’ll get to “stand on the shoulders of giants” in that the new assembly line will have all the best “Best Practice” techniques baked in.
“Evangelization in India would be what it needs to really take off like a rocket. I didn’t say preaching cultural Christianity. It can find no real home in Hinduism. I mean full on spiritual evangelization.”
Spot on.
“...all the lessons that we have learnt over time.”
Yeah. Buy American.
No nation like India wants the value of imports to overwhelm value of exports (as we foolishly allow for the USA economy).
Sounds like somebody’s on the MAKE. Beyond that, it’s garbled to me.
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