01-03-2010, 10:34 PM
[url="http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100102/jsp/nation/story_11934631.jsp"]Nod to US gun purchase minus bids[/url]
This means direct bribe to babus and Congress Party, so nice.
Quote:New Delhi, Jan. 1: The government has authorised an outright purchase of 145 ultra-light howitzers from the US, a highly-placed defence ministry source said today.
The ultra-light howitzers are for the mountain artillery divisions of the Indian Army to be used in high-altitude frontiers opposite Pakistan and China. They can be transported slung from some helicopters.
The defence acquisitions committee has decided to take the foreign military sales route. Foreign military sales is a US programme of government-to-government sales of military hardware bypassing a lengthy system of competitive bidding. But bidders who lose out to foreign military sales orders allege that the system lacks transparency.
ââ¬ÅWe will also look at other options,ââ¬Â defence secretary Pradeep Kumar said.
The Indian Air Force has taken the foreign military sales route to contract six Lockheed Martin-made Hercules C130J air lifters and the army did the same to buy artillery fire-finding radars.
Two brands of ultra-light howitzers were initially in contention for the Indian Armyââ¬â¢s estimated $2.5-billion artillery modernisation programme ââ¬â ST Kineticsââ¬â¢ Pegasus and BAE Land Systemsââ¬â¢ M777 made in the US.
This means direct bribe to babus and Congress Party, so nice.