In a recent development, Boeing, world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners, defence and space crafts, may be in talks with Indian companies to collaborate on drones, digital technology and aerospace services.
The U.S.- based aircraft maker that already has a strong presence in India is likely to make more announcements to strengthen its roots in India. Boeing has already invested in an engineering unit in Bengaluru and has a partnership with the Tata group for making fuselage of its Apache attack helicopters and floor beams for some of its planes.
Marc Allen, president of Boeing International, was reportedly quoted as saying that there are a lot of ongoing discussions and possibilities but none of them are announced yet. “We have talked around a variety of possibilities whether it is autonomous systems or whether it is systems themselves on another platform”, he said.
India is keen on having drones with artificial intelligence for autonomous functioning that is capable of surveillance, track targets and fire on targets. It is looking forward to bring more autonomous vehicles such as Boeing’s Insitu ScanEagle that is a small, long-endurance, low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle.
Along with upgrading the research in autonomous systems, Boeing would be looking to work on digital technology and services in India.
If reports are to be believed, the U.S. giant already sources $1 billion worth of products annually from India, and has won contracts worth $14 billion over the past few years. Looking at these numbers, it is only natural to see a bilateral trade security effort between US and India for industrial engagement going forward.
