Saab AB and TCS announce joint aeronautical development centre in India

10 September 2008

Swedish defence and aerospace group Saab AB said Wednesday that it has signed a letter of intent to establish a joint aeronautical design and development centre with Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, a leading IT company that is part of the Tata Group, a giant Indian industrial conglomerate.

The proposed Aeronautical Design and Development Centre, (ADDC), would create design and development capabilities within India for both military and civil aeronautical applications. Apart from allowing Saab to set its footprints in India, it would also enable both companies to capture opportunities in the aerospace and defence sector in the domestic and global aviation market.

 ''This co-operation is not limited to any specific product but is aimed towards building a joint capability to leverage collective strengths across the globe,'' says Saab CEO Åke Svensson.

''This partnership has a strong blend of Saab's technology solutions and TCS global engineering model to address the growing opportunities in the aerospace and defence sector,'' says S Ramadorai, chief executive officer and managing director, TCS.

Within Saab, Combitech will be responsible for establishing the Aeronautical Design and Development Centre. Combitech have previous experience of collaboration with Indian consulting firms and can provide competences regarding purchasing, coordination, follow-up and steering. Discussions and preparations for the first project have already started.

India, a key market
India is a key market for Saab, as one of the world's fastest growing defence markets. The Indian aviation market is enormous and continues to grow strongly. Saab believes in local participation and works with long-term collaboration with, and technology transfer to, local industries.