VAYU : How do you see the defence sector growing in India in 2021?
We remain confident in the long term growth of India’s defence sector. The pandemic created some challenges in the short term, not just in India, but around the world. India has very important security and defence modernisation requirements and it has a dynamic ecosystem of growing companies and technical talent. I think our sector showed remarkable resilience and as we come out of the slowdown, defence modernisation imperatives will be driven with efficiency in capital budget utilisation and delivering more value by OEMs. Boeing is committed to delivering on its commitments and will continue to do so. Today we are honoured to support India in its operations of 11 C-17s, 22 AH-64 Apaches (with six more on order), 15 CH- 47 Chinooks and 10 P-8Is (with two more on order). We’re engaged with our defence customers for the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft and the Indian Navy’s Carrier-Borne Fighter programme. We are seeing the growth in the localisation of lifecycle MRO services along with it, with an emphasis of “for India, from India” via our investments in our Indian workforce and local partners, we support the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy to provide exceptional operational capability and readiness in support of their needs to protect the world’s largest democracy.
VAYU : Boeing is also offering the F-15 EX in addition to Super Hornet for Indian Air Force’s MRFA programme. What capabilities does the F-15 EX jets bring to the table?
In early 2021, Boeing received a marketing license approval from the US Government to offer the F-15EX to India. The F-15EX offers a future-ready, multirole solution to the Indian Air Force that has superior deterrent and air supremacy capabilities relative to the competition. The F-15EX is the latest and most advanced version of combat-proven, multirole, all-weather day/night F-15 aircraft family. USAF recently signed an indefinitedelivery/ indefinite-quantity contract with Boeing for 144 aircraft and the numbers could be even higher than 200. The $5B investment by USAF and international customers has made the iconic platform even more ‘future-ready’ by integrating leading edge technologies, networks, weapons and sensors to meet the adversaries of today and tomorrow. The F-15EX can carry large payload and offers unmatched performance in the form of range, speed and altitude. The F-15 is the only aircraft that has 104 kills to its name in air to air combat.
VAYU : What is the progress on the Apache programme?
Do you anticipate more numbers? The Indian Air Force today has 22 AH- 64E Apache attack helicopters. Early last year, the Ministry of Defence signed the contract for the acquisition of an additional six Apaches for the Indian Army. Our Tata Boeing Aerospace Ltd. joint venture in Hyderabad continues to be a critical source of Apache manufacturing not only for the Indian Army but for customers worldwide, including the US Army. The six Apaches for the Indian Army will be built at the state-of-the-art TBAL manufacturing facility right here in India. We continue to be committed to providing the most advanced capability to India’s defence forces. We do believe that India has requirements for more Apache attack helicopters and we stand ready to support them.
VAYU : What innovation is happening at Boeing India’s engineering centre in terms of automation, intelligent equipment/platforms and man-machine interface?
Boeing’s India Engineering & Technology Centre (BIETC) in Bengaluru and Chennai is leveraging a talented pool of employees in India towards innovation in aerospace. These engineers undertake high-quality, advanced aerospace work spanning engineering design of structures and systems, manufacturing support, developing systems to test our aircraft, and providing digital solutions to our airline customers. Cutting-edge R&D in traditional and emerging areas is also done at the Centre, including next-generation airplane health management, environment friendly coatings, advanced networks and secure-communications where teams leverage new-age technologies to replace traditional approaches, enhancing safety and productivity. Boeing engineering design teams collaborate with our R&D team to leverage Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning methods and in the process, resulting in a significant reduction in time taken for tasks, and also enhancing quality. Digital aviation efforts are also helping airlines reduce fuel consumption through route optimisation, and make effective utilisation of their crew. Digital engineering is being used to enhance the manufacturing environment and provide value to customers. Digital threading is being used to create a digital twin before manufacturing aircraft systems, resulting in fewer manufacturing issues. This drives efficiency, optimises product design, and enhances manufacturability, making the end-to-end supply chain more digital.
VAYU : Kindly elaborate on sustainment and training initiatives for the C-17 Globemaster III.
Boeing is working with the Indian Air Force to provide exceptional operational capability and readiness for the C-17s. Boeing’s Global C-17 support programme is a Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) contract designed to provide the United States Air Force (USAF) and international partners with maximum aircraft availability while optimising affordability, and lowest sustainment risks for all C-17 support elements.
The IAF’s C-17 fleet is supported under the Globemaster Integrated Support Programme that maintains high mission capability rates by providing them access to an extensive support network for parts availability and economies of scale. Boeing provides onsite and multi-function support, with Boeing team members working closely with Indian Air Force operators and maintainers to ensure a high level of aircraft availability while reducing cost per flight hour. Boeing monitors obsolescence issues with a dedicated working group. The proven, combat-tested, worldwide support for the C-17s include - 24 hour/7 day a week aircraft-on-ground parts response, Emergency in-flight technical assistance, Worldwide recovery support by Boeing and Access to worldwide inventories (spares, consumables). Boeing also provides comprehensive C-17 Globemaster III training solutions for aircrews and loadmasters with advanced simulation, courseware and computer-based training. C-17 operators can practice the complete range of tasks required for tactical military airlift operations and humanitarian missions, along with mission rehearsal of other scenarios such as aerial refuelling and emergency procedures. Boeing’s C-17 training centre in India has completed thousands of training hours for aircrews and loadmasters for the Indian Air Force.
VAYU : Lastly, can you provide an update on Boeing’s sourcing from India?
Indian suppliers are an integral part of Boeing’s strategy for growth, and are key to our commitment to strengthening India’s aerospace industry. Boeing today works with more than 275 Indian suppliers and we have been steadily increasing our sourcing from India for its global manufacturing and supply chain. Boeing’s sourcing from India is at approximately $1US billion today. In 2021, we are developing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in support of our commitment to Aatmanirbhar Bharat. In fact, 26 percent of our suppliers from India are MSMEs. Boeing’s industrial partners in India are raising the bar to deliver world-class quality, cost-efficiency, and productivity as they become an important part of the company’s worldwide supply chain for some of the most advanced airplanes in the world. Indian suppliers manufacture critical systems and components for some of Boeing’s most advanced products such as the 777, 787 Dreamliner, 737, F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-15, CH-47 Chinook, P-8 and AH-64 Apache. The Indian supplier landscape has also gone through a transformation over the last few years with proven capabilities in driving manufacturing predictability and performance. We have been consistently supported our partners in upgrading their capabilities and technologies through training, skilling and other initiatives. Our investments and partnerships are in a manner that best serves our customers and aligns to our strategy of shaping world class aerospace and defence manufacturing in India. For example, Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL), Boeing’s first equity joint venture in India, with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) has been producing aero-structures for Boeing’s AH-64 Apache helicopter, including fuselages, secondary structures, and vertical spar boxes for customers worldwide. Recently, Boeing also announced the addition of a new production line to manufacture complex vertical fin structures for the 737 family of airplanes. It demonstrates we are moving onwards in the journey towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat with Indian suppliers and in making the country a key hub for aerospace and defence manufacturing for the world.
