Honeywell International and Tata Power Sign Agreement to Produce a Navigation System in India
NEW DELHI—U.S.-based Honeywell International Inc. and India’s Tata Power Ltd. said Monday they have signed an agreement to produce a navigation system in India to cater to the needs of the south Asian nation’s military.
Using technology from Honeywell Aerospace, Tata Power’s Strategic Electronics Division will assemble the Tactical Advanced Inertial Navigator, or TALIN, in India, according to a statement issued by both companies. The assembly of the Talin would mark the debut production of such a system in the country, it said.
The announcement of the partnership comes as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the U.S. for five days. Mr. Modi’s government has pledged to modernize India’s armed forces by replacing its aging equipment, most of which was acquired during the Soviet-era. His government has also laid greater focus on the local production of weapons either through joint ventures between Indian and foreign companies, or through technology transfers to save on foreign exchange.
Mr. Modi is likely to discuss plans to purchase billions of dollars of arms from the U.S.during his visit that includes talks with U.S. President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, people familiar with the matter said last week. India, the world’s biggest importer of arms, is also the biggest defense export market for the U.S. The South Asian country ordered more than $10 billion of U.S. arms in the past decade.
“By partnering with Tata Power SED on the production of TALIN, we are aligning with the government’s aim of increasing locally-manufactured technologies for India’s defense industry and giving the Indian armed forces an easy-to-justify option for navigation on the 21st century battlefield,” said Arijit Ghosh, president for India at Honeywell Aerospace.
TALIN allows troop-carrying vehicles or towed artillery to navigate through remote regions even in areas where GPS satellite guidance isn’t available—which the company said would support operations across India’s mountains, deserts and forests where signals can be weak.
The two companies plan to start assembling TALIN 2000 system in India in 2016. The agreement would also be extended to cover other versions of the TALIN range of navigators.
“This agreement sets the standard for locally produced defense technologies to sustain India’s military growth and mission success over the coming years,” said Rahul Chaudhry, chief executive of Tata Power’s Strategic Electronics Division.
Source : The Wall Street Journal
