Indian connection for BAE staff

Thousands of workers took part in the India Week celebrations hosted at sites across the country operated by the firm’s Military Air and Information (MAI) business, at Warton and Samlesbury.

It saw workers from the firm’s Indian business visit the Lancashire sites to talk about their different culture and the nation’s partnership with the business.

Salman Tapalkar, a project engineer on the Hawk project management team at BAE Systems, India, said the visit was an eye-opener for him.

He said: “Having worked on the project for more than five years, it was great to see how the UK team here worked.

“It was good to see the rhythm we work at in India was on the same lines as our colleagues here, it is good to know we are aligned as a team.

“From a personal perspective, being in the UK for the first time, it was great to be able to see both Preston and Brough as well as London.

“I could not believe the tradition of places like Buckingham Palace but it was great to see so much well-preserved history which is available for people to cherish and experience.” Salman was joined on his visit to BAE Systems’ Samlesbury site by Dave Hogg, executive director on the Hawk programme in India, to talk to workers about the importance of our relationship with India.

On the menus at restaurants across the MAI business, there was also a selection of cuisines drawn from different regions of India served up to workers.

The Hawk aircraft, the world’s most successful and proven fast jet training aircraft, which is assembled at Warton, is used by the IAF to train its elite pilots.

Follow us on twitter @The_Gazette and like our page on facebook to keep up with all the latest news.