SAAB Grintek Defence-HAL sign $8.5 million contract for in-country maintenance of Integrated Defensive Aids Suite System

BENGALURU: SAAB Grintek Defence and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's Avionics Division, today signed a $8.5 million contract to deliver transfer of technology for in-country maintenance of SAAB's Integrated Defensive Aids Suite system, between South Africa and India.

The contract was signed at the Aero India 2017 here.

"The export of this technology to India bodes well for future manufacturing and skills transfers, and for building an ongoing mutually beneficial partnership in line with the 'Make in India' initiative," Saab Grintek Defence President and CEO Trevor Raman said in a release here.

The Transfer of Technology (ToT) programme will run for 24 months and will qualify HAL Hyderabad as a SAAB-approved IDAS repair facility, he said.

HAL will focus on maintenance and repair of IDAS equipment for Indian end-users and SAAB will continue to support HAL Hyderabad with critical spares and proprietary components for the entire service life of IDAS, Raman said.

IDAS has been selected as the electronic warfare self-protection system for the Indian Air Force and Indian Army Aviation Corp's variants of the HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter, the statement said.

The maintenance ToT provides for supply and commissioning of test infrastructure at HAL Hyderabad, along with documentation and training of HAL personnel in both Centurion, South Africa, and Hyderabad, it said.