EADS to shift some Eurofighter development work to India

Berlin: European aerospace consortium, Eurofighter, is set to transfer some development work of its four++ generation Eurofighter Typhoon and other military aircraft to India soon, according to a top company official.

"We will transfer some of our development projects, which we have in Europe for Eurofighter or other military aircraft to India, where we have set up a military research and development (R&D) centre in Bangalore," EADS chief executive (defence & security) Stefan Zoller said.

Zoller said the consortium's R&D activities were independent of its bid for the 126 medium medium-range multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) global tender for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

He said the move intended to leverage high-skilled Indian talent as well as the potential of the emerging Indian aerospace industry and was intended to develop new technologies. The move would also help create new jobs.

"If we win the IAF order, the development of newer versions of Typhoon for India and global market will result in creation of about 20,000 direct jobs, as the bid involves the winner re-investing 50 per cent of the deal in India's defence manufacturing industry," Zoller said at the 10th Berlin International Air Show.

Besides Eurofighter, others in the fray for the  $11 billion global tender of r126 aircraft are US-based Lockheed Martin's F-16INs as well as Boeing's F/A-18IN Super Hornet, French Dassault's Rafale, Swiss SAAB's Gripen and the Russian MiG-35.