L to R: Salil Gupte,
President, Boeing India; Scott Carpendale, Vice President Asia-Pacific, Boeing
Global Services - Government Services; Dan Gillian, Vice President and General Manager,
Mobility, Surveillance and Bombers, Boeing Defense, Space & Security;
Ashwani Bhargava, Senior Director, supply chain, Boeing India; Shekhar
Sardessai, Managing Director, Kineco Group; H G Chandrashekar, Founder & Managing
Director, Sasmos HET Technologies and Kunal Bajaj, President, aerospace &
defence division, CIM Motherson.
Boeing on 21 September 2023 at New Delhi, highlighted
the substantial indigenisation achieved in the manufacturing and sustainment of
its P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft and briefed media on the outlook for
the platform, suggesting an increase in investment and economic impact as part
of its Aatmanirbhar Bharat strategy. Twelve P-8Is already serve the Indian
Navy’s reconnaissance and surveillance needs in the Indo-Pacific region.
Boeing has
already generated a substantial economic impact, amounting to $1.7 billion to
support the current P-8I aircraft fleet in service with the Indian Navy.
Furthermore, Boeing envisions that increasing the P-8I fleet to 18 aircraft
will increase investments, approximately $1.5 billion, while creating further
indigenisation opportunities within India's aerospace and defence sector by
2032.
“Boeing's commitment to advancing the
Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision drives our dedication to the P-8I fleet. As we
respond to the Indian Navy's need for more P-8I aircraft, we're actively
looking to enhance engineering, manufacturing, and sustainment capabilities in
India, for India, and the world, benefiting both Indian and global customers,”
stated Salil Gupte, President of Boeing India.
Since its induction in 2013, the P-8I aircraft,
based on the 737 Next Generation platform, has become an integral part of the
Indian Navy’s fleet and has surpassed 40,000 flight hours with high mission
readiness rates. Boeing played a pivotal role in establishing the Ashok Roy
Training Simulator Complex at INS Rajali, and the Kochi training complex,
inaugurated in April this year, features a state of the art simulator for P-8I
aircrew and technical team training. This ground based training reduces
on-aircraft training time, boosting mission proficiency and aircraft availability
for the Indian Navy.
“We’re
proud to partner with the Indian Navy on the exceptional capability that the
P-8 delivers as a proven multi-mission aircraft while enhancing the
interoperability and maritime security requirements for India and the Indo-Pacific,”
stated Dan Gillian, Vice President and General Manager, Mobility, Surveillance
and Bombers, Boeing Defense, Space & Security. “Boeing is also committed to
expanding its P-8 supplier network in India, which presently includes 15 public
and private Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises that are part of Boeing’s
global supply chain and are delivering critical parts, components, and services
for the P-8.”
The globally proven P-8 fleet, over 160 aircraft
in service that have accumulated more than 500,000 mishap-free flight hours
around the globe, includes allies such as the United States, the United
Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea and Germany.
Make
in India for P-8
In-service P-8I incorporate a high degree of complex
and mission critical components that are made in India by over fifteen private
and public supplier partners including MSMEs that are located across the
nation. Over the years, the quality of the work has won P-8I suppliers Boeing’s
Global Supplier of the Year award and several India-made items are exported for
use in production of the P-8. In addition, as the P-8 is a derivative platform
of the Boeing 737, common parts made by Indian suppliers are exported for use
in production of new variants of the 737 like the 737-MAX – truly Make in India
for the World.
P-8
Family: High degree of indigenisation and Make in India
Boeing has promoted indigenisation by working with
Indian manufactures to supply parts for the P-8I in India as well as common
parts that are used by both the P-8 and the 737 family: Radar Fingerprinting
System, IFF (I/T) and Datalink by BEL; Speech Secrecy System by ECIL, Mobile
Satcom System by Avantel; P-8I Cabinets made by Dynamatic Technologies; Mission
Crew Workstation Console by Kineco Kaman; Wire Harnesses by FESIL/Rossell; Stub
beams by Wipro and Interior panels, Tail Cones, Main Landing Gear Doors, Front
Access Doors, Weapon Bay Doors and APU door frames by Tata.
Boeing
continues to expand its manufacturing presence in India. In 2021, our Joint
Venture, Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL) in Hyderabad, inaugurated a new
production line dedicated to manufacturing 737 vertical fins for both the
Indian and global markets. This intricate structure is crafted using cutting edge
manufacturing techniques, and TBAL initiated delivery of these components in
early 2023. Additionally, Mahindra
Aerostructure began delivering 737 Inlet Outer Barrel parts to Boeing starting
in March 2023.
P-8I indigenous fleet sustainment and
support
Boeing
India Defence Pvt Ltd (BIDPL) leads the sustainment support of Indian Navy’s
P8I fleet by providing training to Indian Navy flight crews, spare parts,
ground support equipment and field-service representative support. Boeing’s
integrated logistics support has enabled a high state of fleet readiness at the
lowest possible cost.
Boeing
India Repair Development and Sustainment (BIRDS) Maintenance Repair and
Overhaul (MRO) hub: BIDPL is leveraging the Boeing India Repair Development and
Sustainment (BIRDS) Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hub to grow
indigenous capabilities in India in the areas of heavy maintenance and
component repairs. P-8I represents the foremost example of BIRDS success with
local capabilities being established and several planned in the future.
- P-8I Phase 32 checks: Phase 32 are extensive heavy checks on P-8I akin to overhaul of aircraft. Boeing has partnered with Air Works India to carry out this important activity in India. This partnership has been a success story of P-8I fleet sustainment in India. Phase 32 checks for 8 out of the 12 aircraft have been successfully completed till date accomplishing the Phase 32 maintenance cycle of the first 8 aircraft delivered under the main contract.
- Wheels and Brakes: Maintenance and repair of P-8I wheels and brakes are now conducted in India through Horizon Aerospace in Gurgaon, significantly reducing repair turnaround time and ensuring efficient inventory management.
- Aircrew Headsets: Boeing has partnered with Air Deccan to repair headsets, manufactured in the USA, improving inventory management efficiency.
- Logistics: Last mile import/export, supply chain, transportation and logistics for supporting the P-8I fleet is provided by our partners Expeditors and RE Rogers.
- Facilities at INS Rajali: Several indigenous capabilities have been established to date at INS Rajali through the P-8I sustainment contracts. These capabilities have improved P-8I squadron and base support in areas of trouble shooting and on-site repair of components.
- Boeing India Engineering and Technology Centre (BIETC): BIETC supports the P-8I programme through Sustainment/MRO planning tools, development of training systems (e.g. with a completely indigenous design for the Ordnance Training Device), Technical Supplier Management, and engineering of wire harnesses.
- P-8I Sustainment Warehouse at INS Rajali: The new P-8I Sustainment warehouse was inaugurated in June 2023 at INS Rajali. The warehouse has been planned from long term sustainment support perspective. Boeing is acquiring a new state of the art shelving system from Indian vendor.
- P-8I Training Support and Data Handling (TSDH) Centre: Boeing has also completed the construction of the Training Support & Data Handling (TSDH) Centre at INS Rajali and a secondary centre at the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology, Kochi, as part of a training and support package contract signed in 2019. The training facility was inaugurated and named the Ashok Roy Training Simulator Complex in April earlier this year.
At the press conference, New Delhi
Article courtesy: Boeing