24 · MT 2/2022 Feature ST Engineering displayed a scale-model of its Venus.AI Autonomast designed to convert manned vessels into unmanned platforms. (All photos Gabriel Dominguez except where otherwise stated) Moreover, the Indian Navy is in the process of evaluating fighters for its new aircraft carrier, set to be commissioned later this year, with the Rafale M variant and the US F/A-18 Super Hornet being the lead contenders, added Biswas. Southeast Asia Another example of this trend can be seen in Indonesia, which recently signed an $8.1 billion deal for 42 Dassault Rafale multirole fighters. The Rafale deal was followed hours later by a USDefense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notification, stating that the US State Department had cleared a potential $13.9 billion Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Jakarta for 36 Boeing F-15ID fighters – believed to be a variant of the F-15EX. “ASEAN’s largest economy, Indonesia, is at the forefront of planned large-scale military modernisation in Southeast Asia. With the size of its GDP set to more than double by 2030, it will have considerable fiscal capacity to ramp up defence spending over the medium-term,” said As the economic recovery picks up pace in the Asia-Pacific region, so will spending on aerospace procurement. This year’s Singapore Airshow provided the aviation industry with a platform to not only discuss potential ways out of the Covid-19 crisis but also to unveil new, innovative platforms, designed to help regional militaries compensate for expected reductions in manpower. With only about 600 companies participating in this year’s Singapore Airshow, the event was much smaller than the one held in 2020 – at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic – when 930 exhibitors took part in the event. It also featured less than half of the companies seen in the 2018 iteration of the biennial exhibition (1,060), with key players such as India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and US aircraft manufacturer Textron Aviation missing from the exhibitor’s list. Nevertheless, the 15-18 February event provided the industry with a place to come together and exchange ideas on the way forward – an important function after two years of disruption and uncertainty. With the emergence of the less deadly Omicron variant, and global vaccination rates on the rise, countries around the world have begun relaxing travel restrictions, thus providing a much-needed boost for the commercial aviation industry. At the same time, this is providing governments in the Asia-Pacific region with greater leeway to boost defence spending, after many of them had temporarily re-directed defence funds to help limit the impact of the pandemic. The move is a result of the ongoing regional tensions over a wide range of issues that include territorial disputes, China’s increased assertiveness, and the significant intensification of Sino-US rivalry. “Increasing geopolitical tensions will drive military modernisation programmes across the Asia-Pacific region over the next decade,” Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at IHS Markit, told MilTech, indicating that strong economic growth in the region is expected to provide the fiscal resources for rapid growth in defence spending budgets. Total GDP in the Asia-Pacific region is forecast to rise from $35 trillion in 2021 to $62 trillion by 2030, according to the Singapore-based economist. Indian Budget Increase India, which is embroiled in territorial disputes with both China and Pakistan, is a good example of how this is already being reflected in defence spending. In early February, New Delhi announced that it would ramp up its 2022 defence budget by 10%, with $7.4 billion earmarked for Indian Air Force procurement programmes alone. As Biswas pointed out, India’s long-term plans include the acquisition of 114 Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA), in addition to New Delhi’s award to HAL in February 2021 of a contract for the supply of 83 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), an example of which took part in the aerial display at the Singapore Airshow as part of New Delhi’s efforts to pitch the ‘4+-generation’ fighter to international customers. Gabriel Dominguez Recovery and Higher Defence Spending Singapore Airshow Presages Degree of Economic Recovery
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