Boeing submits bids for $2 billion India defense projects

By Bappa Majumdar
23 October 2009 @ 11:01 am EDT

Boeing Co has submitted two proposals to the Indian Air Force, offering the AH-64D Apache and the CH-47F Chinook in a deal potentially worth $2 billion, Boeing's country head and Indian officials said on Friday.


Boeing submits bids for $2 billion India defense projects
The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner sits on the assembly line at the company's Everett plant in Washington in this May 19, 2008 file photo. Pressure is mounting on Boeing , and its credibility may hang in the balance, as the aerospace giant races to meet a self-imposed deadline to fly its revolutionary new 787 Dreamliner by the end of 2009.
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India invited bids in May for 22 attack helicopters and at least 15 heavy-lift helicopters as it plans to replace its aging Soviet-era fleet with modern weapon systems.

"The Apache will be a capable and lethal defender of India's troops and assets, while the Chinook will answer many of the country's military and humanitarian needs," Vivek Lall, vice president and India country head for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, said on Friday.

"We have no idea of the timeline and how long will it take as we have just submitted our proposals," Lall told Reuters.

The company has already signed a $2.1 billion contract for supplying eight P-8I warfare planes to the Indian Navy.

The Indian government says it will priorities defense and push forward pending projects to modernize its armed forces especially after the Mumbai attacks in November revealed security loopholes.

It is looking to spend more than $30 billion over the next five years to modernize its defense systems.

(Editing by Nick Macfie)

Copyright 2009 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.

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