Northrop Grumman opens India office

Nov 8, 2007, 15:32 GMT

New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS) Eyeing India's burgeoning defence market, US aerospace major Northrop Grumman Corporation has opened its country office here to showcase its range of military hardware and software.

'India represents one of Northrop Grumman's largest potential growth markets for defence products in Asia,' said John Brooks, vice president of business development for Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems and president of Northrop Grumman International Inc, at a media briefing here.

Northrop Grumman's capabilities include a wide range of system solutions from space-borne surveillance, airborne early warning and control systems, fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, to naval surface and sub-surface ships and ship systems, and IT solutions for network-centric operations.

Commodore (Retd) Gyanendra Sharma will be the company's managing director for India, and Joe Parsley the vice president for India and South Asia.

'The presence of Joe Parsley and the recent appointment of Commodore Sharma reflect the importance we are placing on supporting India's growing defence and aerospace requirements,' Brooks said.

'Our objective here is to develop a business where capabilities can grow and shape the markets for our customers,' he added.

Both Sharma and Parsley will work to establish a strong local presence and working relationships with the Indian government, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force and forge industry partnerships to strengthen the company's ability to pursue new business opportunities in India.

'India is an important market in which we have considerable capabilities to offer, and the office in New Delhi will enable us to expand our regional presence and strengthen relationships with customers,' said Brian Morra, vice president for business development and strategic planning at Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems.

'We have a solid business plan and a long-term view of the market, and the people that have been selected to lead our presence in India and drive our business are talented professionals with a proven track record for generating results,' Morra added.

Northrop Grumman is not new to the Indian defence market.

Its close relationship with India goes back more than 25 years with support for a variety of defence programmes across all three armed services as well as strategic industrial partnerships with four IT companies.

Sharma, who joined the company in September, has had a distinguished career spanning 34 years with the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard and the defence ministry.

He has held appointments at the Naval Headquarters, including director of naval air staff, director of aircraft acquisition and deputy director general of the defence planning staff.

Parsley has been resident in India since June, when he was appointed. He was previously director of marketing and business development for land forces' equipment.

Before joining Northrop Grumman, Parsley served with the US Air Force (USAF) in various leadership positions, including a seven-year assignment at NATO and USAF headquarters in Europe.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Northrop Grumman is a $30 billion global defence and technology company with 120,000 employees providing innovative systems, products and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.

© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service