Boeing says in talks with Indian firms for Unmanned Aircraft System

BRISBANE: Boeing has said it is in talks with Indian companies to collaborate under the 'Make in India' initiative to manufacture Unmanned Aircraft System ( UAS) that could be used for surveillance by the Indian Navy.

Brad Jeisman, Senior Business Development Manager of Insitu Pacific which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing, said since the Indian Navy is looking to acquire a UAS, it is "actively working" on it.

"We had discussions with a number of Indian companies on what could be possible to support our make and buy Indian (products). We are working with different companies. We are meeting with some of the larger ones that we typically expect, but we are also interested in small to medium scale industries," Jeisman said.

Insitu Pacific builds UAS, apart from Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), Unattended Ground Sensors (UGS) and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and supplies it to Australia and other countries in Asia-Pacific.

Under the UAS, it manufactures 'ScanEagle' that gives images and live video feed on land or at sea and can be used for surveillance methods.

'Interceptor' is another such UAS with cameras and communication capabilities.

Boeing recently announced its joint venture with the Tatas namely Tata advanced System Ltd (TASL) - Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL).

He said the company is also in talks with small and medium enterprises in India.

Talks are also in progress on how much per cent of the product could be manufactured in India under the 'Make in India' initiative, he added.

"What we have found in our discussions, observations and meetings that India has incredibly gifted small and medium- sized companies with amazing technology on your doorstep," Jeisman said.