Bangalore: A 22-year-old student from Bangalore-based BMS Engineering College will today be doing one thing that most of us can’t even dream of—fly a fighter jet.
A mechanical engineering student, Shashank HR outplayed 2,400 contestants to win the Gripen Top Guns contest, which would offer him a chance to fly the Gripen fighter jet.
On Saturday, five of the 2,400 took the final test: they were made to fly the Gripen flight simulator to choose the ‘top gun’. And Shashank emerged as the winner. Shashank had the habit of flying planes on his home computer and he said that made his task easy during the simulation trials. Buoyed up with this win, he says, after his engineering course get over, he would join “an Indian public sector undertaking which is engaged in aerospace activitiesâ€.
On Sunday, Shashank will co-pilot the Gripen — one of the contenders for the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) — for an hour.
13/02/11 Hemanth CS/Daily News & Analysis
Posts Tagged 'Sweden'
Bangalore student beats 2,400 to fly Gripen
Published February 13, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Defence, Grippen, MMRCA, Saab, Sweden
Dogfight over $10b fighter deal
Published February 11, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Defence, Eurofighter, Eurofighter. Rafale, f16in, fA 18, France, Gripen, MMRCA, Sweden, US
It’s the biggest fighter jet import order in a long time, and for a long time. It’s the deal the world’s great military-industrial powers have been waiting to clinch — the Indian Air Force’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) purchase that could fetch the deal winner over $ 10 billion. And with Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik saying he expected India to have signed off on the deal by September, the dogfight between the contenders is intensifying.
Signs of that intensification were more than apparent during the Aero India show at the Yelahanka Air Force Station on Thursday, with some of the contenders — Lockheed Martin (F-16IN), Boeing (F/A-18), EADS (Eurofighter Typhoon), the French Dassault (Rafale), SAAB (Gripen) — making light or dismissing outright competitors.
Officials of the European contenders mocked Lockheed Martin’s apparently recent bid to let the F-35 Fifth Generation fighter among the contending Fourth Generation fighters, saying that it was a sign of the F-16IN losing altitude in the contest.
Lockheed Martin officials, in turn, seemed to be dismissing fellow US giant Boeing’s bid to win the contract for its F/A-18 Super Hornet by dangling a ‘roadmap of future development’ of the aircraft that would give it Fifth Generation characteristics and keep the jet relevant for the next several decades.
Asked about concerns over America’s willingness to transfer technology, Mr. Prins said, “The IAF’s request for proposal stipulated technology transfer in five categories in four phases. Our proposal is fully compliant.
11/02/11 Deccan Chroniclehte
Saab steps up game with tech offer
Published February 11, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Defence, Saab, Sweden
The Swedish defence and aviation major Saab is ready for a complete and total transfer of technology to India through its partnerships with the local private sector companies.
This was stated by Saab AB’s senior vice president and head of industrial co-operation Mr Andreas Von Der Heide at the Aero India International Conference earlier this week.
Mr Von der Heide said that the Saab approach will be to provide technological and knowledge exchange supporting India’s ambition to be an independent player within the defence technology market, with special focus on aerospace technology.
Saab will provide guaranteed full access to Saab’s technology on all levels and form long-term partnerships with local industry. Towards this, the company is proposing to build a centre of excellence for net-centric warfare and the development of mission-critical applications and C4I solutions. The company is currently investigating possibilities to locate a R&D centre to India in partnership with Indian universities.
“Our commitment is always long-term and focusing on creating business opportunities that go beyond traditional offset obligations. These include spin-outs and joint ventures together with partners, product development programmes in close co-operation with local industry, establishing Saab companies on local markets and supporting social programmes on local markets,†said Mr Von der Heide.
11/02/11 Deccan Chronicle
Saab to set up R&D centre in India
Published February 9, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Defence, Saab, Sweden
Bangalore: Swedish defence company Saab AB today announced to set up a research and development centre in India and indicated that it is close to finalising a joint-venture with HAL in the field of airborne electronic warfare systems.
Saab’s president Hakan Buskhe said the R&D expected to become operational soon is projected to house up to 300 Indian engineers over the next five years working in the area of design.
The company is yet to finalise the location for the Indian R&D centre and Buskhe said it could come up in multiple places.
“The aim is to transfer already identified concrete programmes (to Indian R&D centre) over time,” he told a press conference here, ahead of the Aero India 2001 air show here.
Company officials also said that Saab is set to announce a joint venture with the Bangalore-headquartered Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The idea is to “put production and further development in a vehicle (joint venture with HAL) in India where we will produce and deliver to the global market,” said company’s Director, Head of Region Asia Pacific, Group Marketing & Business Development, Jan Widerstrom.
08/02/11 PTI/Economic Times
