Mahindra Satyam inks defence tech deal with Saab

Mahindra Satyam Ltd said on Tuesday that it won an IT outsourcing contract from Swedish defence and aerospace firm Saab to develop applications and technology solutions in India for the global defence and security market.

In a deal valued at around $300 million, Mahindra Satyam and Saab will jointly address the battlefield management system for the Indian army, the company said in a statement. The contract is spread over a period of five years.

Mahindra Satyam (formerly the scam tainted Satyam Computer Services) said that it has already initiated the setting up of a centre of excellence for network centric warfare (CoE-NCW) which will offer comprehensive skills and a repository of tools, systems, middleware, integration platforms and system showcases in the field of NCW.

The company through the CoE hopes to tap the high potential market for nationwide security, for which the Indian government has large investment plans. ''This relationship will jumpstart our foray in mission critical areas of defence. Our commitment in the domestic market will be reaffirmed by this collaboration and also set the stage to enter uncharted territories in the global arena,'' said C P Gurnani, chief executive of Mahindra Satyam.

The centre, which will be accessible to both the partners, is for mission critical applications and command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence solutions for global opportunities. The capabilities of the centre will also span areas of homeland security to provide end to end security solutions.

''We view this relationship with Mahindra Satyam as a strategic meeting of two highly skilled teams believing in technical and engineering excellence,'' said Åke Svensson, President and chief executive of Saab.