Boeing eyeing $20 billion Indian defence aircraft orders

New Delhi: Boeing's Indian arm has outlined plans to make a  $20 billion bid for Indian defence aircraft orders in India over the coming 10 years.

In a statement to Indian media, Boeing India president Ian Thomas said that Boeing's market outlook for India includes bidding for $20 billion worth defence aircrafts in the next 10 years. Boeing has bid for the F-18 Super Hornet for the Indian Air Force's contract for 126 medium, multi role combat aircraft (MMRCA).

Thomas also said that Boeing was also interested in the 1001 passenger and freighter aircraft that Boeing estimates India will need over the next 20 years. 

Boeing is also in talks with the ministry of defence for the supply of maritime surveillance aircraft, the P8I, and is also looking for a piece of the action on orders for 1001 commercial airplanes worth over $105 billion that India will need over the next 20 years.

Boeing had earlier said that it would partner with Computational Research Laboratory (CRL), a subsidiary of the Tata Group, to test and validate one of the world's fastest supercomputers, the Indian-made Eka system.

''The Eka system is the fourth fastest supercomputer in the world and the fastest in Asia as rated by the International Conference for High Performance Computing Networking Storage and Analysis and will be used by CRL to run a programme that will model high lift aerodynamic simulations in three dimensions for Boeing,'' said a company statement.

Boeing and Tata Industries have also agreed to form a joint-venture company that is initially expected to handle more than $500 million of defence-related aerospace component work in India for export to Boeing and its international customers. (see: Boeing, Tata Industries JV to target domestic and international defence contract work)