Samtel, General Dynamics Team Up For Digital Display Systems

India’s domestic firm Samtel Avionics and General Dynamics have signed an agreement to co-produce digital display systems for the Indian Army.

Samtel is expecting to promote display systems’ market for the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, estimated to be worth $90 million, according to Defense News.

The company aims to supply a variety of displays to General Dynamics for more than $15 million each year by 2015-16, a Samtel executive was quoted as saying.

The Indian Army has a potential need for more than 15,000 displays for use aboard the Future Infantry Combat Vehicle, light armored multipurpose vehicles and upgraded infantry combat vehicles and for the upgrade of T-72 tanks, the Samtel executive added.

At present, Samtel is building cockpit displays for the Indian Air Force’s Russian-built Sukhoi MKI aircraft.

Samtel and France’s Thales have a joint venture for manufacturing in India helmet-mounted sight and display systems, infrared search and tracking systems, and modern avionics systems for the Indian and export defense markets. The joint company is manufacturing displays for the Mirage 2000 upgrade that the Indian Air Force has contracted with Thales and is also preparing to supply displays for the winner of the $12 billion Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft project, in which French company Dassault’s Rafale is the selected aircraft.