MAIN HEADLINES FROM THIS ISSUE:

• A new mood in India as Defence Minister sets date for policy review – BAE Systems joins campaign for change

  Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the government will tackle inconsistencies in Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2013 by March when it will announce changes to the process. The issues that need to be addressed include having a clear offsets policy.

• Czech Republic winds up its offset policy

  The Czech Republic has decided that it would no longer require offsets when procuring defence equipment although some procurements would qualify under the exemptions to Directive 2009/81EC afforded by Article 346.

• Japan’s offer to help build submarines in Australia may be torpedoed

  A proposal for Australian industry to be involved in the construction of the Navy’s new submarines, with Japan to be responsible for assembling the boats, has ignited a fierce debate in Australia.

• Russia to build Anglo-Italian helicopters

  Rostec Corporation and Finmeccanica have entered into a joint venture to produce AW189 helicopters. The companies’ subsidiaries, Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland, will establish a facility on the HeliVert plant near Moscow. Rosneft will also become a partner.

• Israel’s new ICA chief faces work overload following merger

  Ziza Eger has taken over as Director General of Israel’s Industrial Cooperation Authority (ICA) following the retirement of Acting Director General Gabriel Golomb.