Main headlines from this issue

Prohibition sends offsets underground – with record turnout for offset conference

More than 400 delegates attended the fifth GOCA/ADS Global Industrial Cooperation Conference in Izmir… The EC boycotted the event, unravelling a panel discussion that focussed on the directive. Lee Furter, Snr Manager for Offsets at Ruag, valiantly stepped in at short notice to present a humdinger on EC defence procurement policy and the directive, and picked it apart.

Turkey’s IP/O policy has been hugely rewarding – but low threshold is exasperating

Murad Bayar, SSM’s Undersecretary, told conference delegates that SSM’s project portfolio has reached an impressive cumulative value of about $27bn since 2002.

Poland: can ‘Polonisation’ survive the directive?

Poland’s response to the restriction on offsets is to say: “Okay, we don’t need offsets. We could make offsets go away… as long as all products are produced in Poland.” Conference delegates chuckled, but the speaker wasn’t joking.

The loneliness of the civil offset manager

Iwan Bannwart, ABB’s Group VP for Offset and Countertrade, told conference delegates that the civil offset industry as such has little voice. “I am part of this club here, and this is defence and aerospace…. “Sometimes I feel a bit lonely.”

NATO contract for Northrop Grumman will bring IP to 13 member states

Thirteen participating NATO nations will share in an industrial participation programme for the purchase of five RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft.