New Delhi, Apr 28: To expedite and monitor the induction of British aerospace Hawk 115Y trainers for the IAF, India and Britain today announced setting up of a joint defence sub group. "The sub group would also monitor the sale, production under licence at the Bangalore-based Hindustan Aeronautics and the Training Programme of the pilots", an official spokesman said here today at the conclusion of the eigth meeting of the Indo-UK Defence Consultative Group.
India recently signed the Rs 7,000 crore deal for purchase of 66 hawk trainers, which are to be delivered in four years time. While, 24 hawks are to brought in fly away conditions, the rest 32 are to be manufactured under licence in India.
The meeting, which was chaired on the British side by Kevin Tebbit, under secretary for defence and Ajay Prasad defence secretary, also agreed to set up three more sub-groups on military exchanges, to expand joint collaboration in manufacture of futuristic weapons systems and on defence research and technology.
"UK has shown interest in backroom it management in defence from the Indian side and also expressed a desire to raise the level of interaction to cover areas like strategic and global security issues", the spokesman said.
With the US keen on Indian participation in multi-nation force in Iraq, the British side gave a detailed presentation on the UK military experience in the desert nation.
Bureau Report