The Indian defense ministry is expected to reissue the request for proposals (RFP) for the third time for 140 wheeled guns within the next two weeks.
Retrials will be held for the same guns that participated in earlier rounds to evaluate performance in extreme hot and cold conditions in the harsh desert terrains of Rajasthan and Ladakh. Firing rate and command and control will be assessed.
Bidders being named include Kerametal of Slovakia, with its Zuzana gun, and Germany’s Rheinmetall RWG-52.
The latest development, however, comes amid ongoing confusion and allegations regarding so-called “blacklisting” of some contenders in the past (Aerospace DAILY,
April 2). For instance, Singapore Technologies Kinetics was not invited to participate in the RFP after being named in a report related to an Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) scandal. But Rheinmetall, which was rejected on another tender
for being involved in the same OFB report, was called to participate in trials for bi-modular charges in Pokhran, and now for the wheeled guns.
No comments:
Post a Comment