Where is the enemy?
Who pays forthe IAF#1--Bush?
Manmohan should love economy class on commercial flights-or chooser
India-made Intercontinental jets
mm
From: Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: ASSAMNET <[email protected]>
Subject: [Assam] Airforce One for PM - Telegraph
Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2005 23:14:00 -0500
The Indian PM/President will now have their own Airforce One (from
Boeing) with anti-missile systems.
___________________
US green signal for Singh's Boeing
- Cabinet clears purchase of three planes after Washington security nod
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Like it? The interior of the Boeing business jet
New Delhi, Sept. 6: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will soon fly the
Indian version of Air Force One, thanks to closer security relations
between India and the US.
The US government has given permission to Boeing to sell three
business jets equipped with an anti-missile system fitted to the belly
of the aircraft to confuse homing missiles using advanced technology.
There will also be a special scrambler device to make all
communication from the plane to ground stations safe from intercepts.
Today, the cabinet committee on security cleared the purchase after
being told the US was prepared to give the aircraft, loaded with the
security-sensitive equipment, similar to Air Force One that carries
the American President.
For nearly a year and a half, the sale was held up because of
objections from the US security establishment. Attempts by Boeing to
sell the luxury jet for use by the Indian Prime Minister and President
minus the sophisticated equipment were unacceptable to the defence
ministry, which is handling the purchase.
The three Boeings, which were initially contracted for the President,
Prime Minister and deputy Prime Minister, will cost the government
nearly Rs 1,000 crore. The security equipment alone costs nearly Rs
200 crore.
Top diplomats and defence officials were involved in the attempt to
persuade the US government to allow Boeing to sell the jets, which are
custom-built long-range B737-700 series aircraft capable of flying 12
hours non-stop.
It was only after the two nations started to come closer in terms of
shared security perceptions that the US began to consider allowing
India the jets loaded with the equipment. Officials said the jets
would be delivered by 2009 and join the Indian Air Force's VIP
squadron.
The Indian government, which had initially considered two aircraft
the Boeing business jet and Airbus A319-CJ homed in on the Boeing
because of its security features, lower maintenance cost (though it is
a guzzler using up about 20 per cent more fuel than competing luxury
jet Global Express) and its spacious cabin.
It has an 800-sq-ft cabin which can be customised to meet individual
or business requirements for 25 to 50 passengers with an executive
office, conference rooms, private offices or dining rooms, bedrooms
and shower.
The glass cockpit is fitted with an HGS-4000 system, which gives
improved low-visibility take-off guidance and runway deceleration
cueing and has advanced display features.
India's VIP fleet has three ageing 737-200s with two standby aircraft
purchased from Indian Airlines. With an average life of over 20 years,
these planes are considered rickety at best.
Any trip abroad by Singh forces the government to "borrow" a plane or
two from Air-India and Indian Airlines, an embarrassing ritual that
sometimes causes the airlines to reschedule commercial flights.
For Boeing, too, the deal is important. It wants to sell Boeing
commercial airliners to Air-India but the fact that it was not allowed
to sell to the Prime Minister meant embarrassing questions every time
its executives met senior Indian officials.
Before the sales were cleared, the Indian Air force received 14-seater
Legacy aircraft from Embraer which are to be used to ferry VIPs on
short tours within the country. These too are equipped with a US-made,
cheaper and slightly less effective version of the anti-missile system
the Boeings will have.
_______________________________________________
assam mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
_______________________________________________
assam mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
