Defence Expo 2018: Mahindra Defence Strikes Pact To Make Seaplanes, Marine UAVs For Navy

The Mahindra Group has tied up with Japan’s ShinMaywa Industries Ltd. to make seaplanes for naval use in India.

There are initial discussions to understand how many seaplanes would be required for the Indian Navy, SP Shukla, group president, aerospace and defence at Mahindra Group, said at the Defence Expo 2018 in Chennai today.

The group also entered into a partnership with Aeronautics of Israel to assemble medium-range unmanned aerial vehicles for the Indian Navy and could land on small ships, said Shukla.

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The government had floated initial requirements for UAVs, he said. The partnership will allow the company to participate in the order, he said.

Mahindra has already partnered with Airbus to participate in strategic partnership programme for naval helicopters. “The request for proposal was floated last year, we will see some movement on this front in the next four to five months,” said Shukla.

Mahindra is also expanding its Faridabad facility to assemble, integrate and test the 155mm, M777 ultra-light howitzer for BAE Systems. “The work on the facility has begun, and we expect the production to start by end of year,” said Shukla.

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