The Vice President, Defence Capability Marketing, Airbus Defence and Space, Ian Elliott told SP’s that the company always participated in full force at Defexpo as it provides the company a platform to meet a wide range of Indian interests who play a part in the nation’s defence.

At Defexpo, Airbus Defence and Space focused on pushing the case of finalising the negotiations of the A330 MRTT and also on pitching the C295 to the Indian Air Force for its Avro replacement programme. Elliott explained the features of the C295: “It is an outstanding surveillance aircraft which is proven in service as a maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft, so naturally we are emphasising its suitability for certain Indian naval requirements. Of course if the aircraft is acquired for other roles in addition to being the replacement for the Avro fleet then there are excellent opportunities for financial savings due to fleet commonality, and it could ease some of the challenges of the industrial offset arrangements.”

On the A330 MRTT, he said, it is literally transforming air-to-air refuelling. “It is not just a superb tanker with completely new capabilities, but also an outstanding transport which can carry up to 291 passengers in exactly the same configuration as when it is tanking. A huge benefit to India is going to be the aircraft’s reliability – the UK Royal Air Force, for example, has three A330 MRTTs in service now and is experiencing an availability rate around 99 per cent, which is remarkable for a military aircraft.”