Filled with military deals harvested over the past few years, the Indian defense pie is getting bigger and sweeter, on land and in the air. But the country faces major hurdles in making those plans real. First, the good news: Over the next five years, India plans to renovate or replace its Soviet-era kit with $50 billion in new equipment, making Asia's third largest economy a lucrative market for foreign companies such as Boeing and Dassault.
New Delhi – India has approved a proposal to acquire 18 new aircraft worth more than $1 billion for the indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) currently being built for the navy. The permission to procure nine Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance (MRMR) aircraft and limited series production of another nine carrier-borne Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) was granted by the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by India Defense Minister A. K. Antony late last week, a senior defense official told Aviation Week.
