Welcome back to India Defence Online...If you haven't done so yet, subscribe to the RSS feed as it will save you a lot of time. Thanks for following the site!
Defence companies in Sweden are exploring partnerships with Indian companies in order to boost defence collaboration between the two countries.
Addressing a seminar on Defence Partnerships and alliances organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI) last week in New Delhi, Swedish Trade Minister Ewa Bjorling said India is a reliable trade partner and Sweden is ready to offer defence technogy tranfer to India to benefit industries of both countries.
The Swedish defense industry delegation visited New Delhi due to their growing interest in the Indian defence and military business and a possibility of long-term alliance by joint development of systems and transfer of technology.
Added to this is the recent amendment in India’s defense procurement policy, effective as of November 1, that now allows the issuance of requests for proposals (RFPs) to foreign vendors for so-called “Buy and Make” programs, in which Indian industries undertake the manufacture.
With this recent amendment, the much needed clarity in the area of transfer of technology through offsets has been achieved. Under the current procedure, a Buy and Make RFP is issued only to foreign vendors, who are required to transfer technology to the Production Agency, which does not promote the establishment of joint ventures or co-production arrangements in India by Original Equipment Manufacture (OEMs). Unlike in the past, the production and development by Indian industry will be through transfer of technology and not through Research and Development.
Swedish Deputy Trade Minister Gunnar Wieslander said that since India has good legal framework, financial power and transparency, Swedish companies are keen to work with India.
Lars-Olof Lindgren, the Swedish ambassador to India, said Sweden and India’s defense collaboration had reached a critical phase where Sweden hopes to layer India’s trust in the technological superiority of Swedish weapon systems with a deeper appreciation of the strategic role.
Swedish companies like Kockums, BAE Sweden, Saab, Volvo/Eicher and Ericsson made presentations to Indian officials on varied issues and relevance of technology and industrial cooperation.
The Swedish firms are trying to focus on future technological challenges and aim to use joint technology in the development of systems. Once Swedish and Indian governments sign the MoU concerning defence cooperation, it will be an excellent platform for cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries within mutually beneficial areas. Sweden is not seeking a buyer, but a strategic partner for long term cooperation for future defence and industrial development.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
