NEW DELHI – Almost a year after the U.S. lifted a 12-year-old dual-use technology export control ban on nine Indian space and defense-related companies, the chief of India’s premier defense research agency says the decision has not helped. “The removal of some DRDO labs from the Entity List by the U.S. has not changed anything for us,” Defense Research and Development Organization chief V.K. Saraswat said recently. “Our experience has been these regulations make it more difficult,” he added.

NEW DELHI – The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has not invited India to become a partner in its missile defense program, Defense Minister A.K. Antony told parliament Wednesday. Media reports in September, quoting several top NATO officials in Brussels, said the military alliance offered to share missile defense technology with India. The reports said NATO wanted a dialog with India similar to that Washington and New Delhi have as bilateral partners.

New Delhi – India’s air force will soon submit a flight evaluation report on the two aircraft vying to fulfill the service’s need for six midair refuelers. EADS, through its Military Transport Aircraft Div., is offering the Airbus Military A330 multirole tanker transport, while Russia’s Ilyushin has proposed more of its Il-78s. The IAF has been operating six Il-78s for more than five years. Defense officials say the IAF required a new tender to procure refuelers to augment the Il-78s.