In his article ‘No thanks, you’re blacklisted’ (November 17), Ajai Shukla makes the allegation that “ ... BAE Systems seems headed there (blacklisting) after problems with setting up an assembly line in HAL Bangalore for the Hawk jet trainer.”
This unfounded and unsourced allegation is wrong. there is no such threat to BAE Sysyems’ business in India. It is deeply irresponsible to confuse debates and programme delivery issues with allegations of corrupt acts.
BAE Systems has completed its deliveries in support of the production line that HAL has set up for licence build of Hawk. HAL is now successfully delivering aircraft to the Indian Air Force from that production line. Moreover, the Hawk in service is delivering the high-quality flying training required for the next generation of IAF pilots.
Julain Scopes
President, BAE Systems, India
Ajai Shukla replies:
HAL and the ministry of defence are upset at the delays in the Hawk assembly line. HAL Chairman Ashok Nayak has gone on record listing BAE shortcomings in transferring technology which, he says, is leading to delays. Yes, it is a HAL production line, but common sense indicates that a vendor who is not fulfilling his obligations can cause delays. India is, in fact, rejecting the easy option of choosing the Hawk for its additional requirement of trainers and going in for a fresh global tender.
The article in no way conflates corruption with incompetence. It points to the well-documented allegations of corruption against BAE Systems in the Al Yamamah scandal, for which the BAE Systems chief was detained by US authorities after his own country decided, for “strategic reasons”, not to pursue the corruption investigation. The issue of being blacklisted is mentioned separately, clearly linked with BAE Systems’ alleged delivery problems.