IAF to shortlist jets for $10.4 bn deal

[sonicboom]

IAF to shortlist jets for $10.4 bn deal

1 Jul 2010


NEW DELHI: The race for the “mother of all defence deals”, the $10.4 billion project to acquire 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) for IAF, is getting hotter.

Defence ministry sources said the technical evaluation report of the gruelling field trials, during which the six foreign fighters in contention were tested by IAF pilots both in India and abroad under different weather conditions, was “virtually ready” now.

“IAF is likely to submit the exhaustive report by next week. Subsequently, a shortlist of the fighters which have done well in the field evaluation test and the staff evaluation will be made,” said a source.

The commercial bids submitted by the six aviation majors, American F/A-18 ‘Super Hornet’ (Boeing) and F-16 ‘Falcon’ (Lockheed Martin), Swedish Gripen (Saab), French Rafale (Dassault), Russian MiG-35 (United Aircraft Corporation) and Eurofighter Typhoon (consortium of British, German, Spanish and Italian companies), will be opened, examined and compared only after that.

This will be the first time that “life-cycle costs” will be taken into account rather than just pitching for the lowest bidder. The “direct acquisition cost”, the cost of operating the fighters over a 40-year period, with 6,000 hours of flying, and the cost of the ToT will all be taken into account to arrive at a “verifiable cost model” for the commercial evaluation.

Complex negotiations on the 50% offsets specified in the contract, under which the selected foreign vendor will be required to plough half of the contract forex value back into India, will also have to be conducted.

IAF is keeping its fingers crossed that the actual contract, under which 18 jets will be bought off-the-shelf and the rest will be manufactured in India under transfer of technology to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, is inked within a year.

IAF obviously wants to get the fighters as soon as possible, grappling as it is with a sharp fall in the number of its fighter squadrons (each has 12 to 18 jets), which is down to just 32 from even the “sanctioned” strength of 39.5.

IAF to shortlist jets for $10.4 bn deal-Politics/Nation-News-The Economic Times

[Zaki]

Oh please take the final decision now

I started hearing about MRCA deal before i joined my college. Now its been 3 years since i left my college

[vinod2070]

Wait till your kids leave their college. There is no hurry. The Sukhois are being inducted at a fast pace in the meanwhile. ;)

[keysersoze]

Originally Posted by vinod2070

Wait till your kids leave their college. There is no hurry. The Sukhois are being inducted at a fast pace in the meanwhile. ;)

Lol no they are not......I think i have in the past proved how few are actually in use. Also those aging airframes the IAF is using will keep on crashing and killing pilots.... but hey ho.....

[vinod2070]

Originally Posted by keysersoze

Lol no they are not......I think i have in the past proved how few are actually in use. Also those aging airframes the IAF is using will keep on crashing and killing pilots.... but hey ho.....

OK. Be happy. I am glad you have something in life to be happy about, even if it is mostly delusion.

Even recently we had an order for 40+ Sukhois passed without much fuss. The total numbers are quite significant and enough for our needs.

I sometimes wonder at the maliciousness of the converted towards their old identity, but then perhaps not!

[Condor]

IAF should go for the latest generation Flying Saucers.

[keysersoze]

Originally Posted by vinod2070

OK. Be happy. I am glad you have something in life to be happy about, even if it is mostly delusion.

Even recently we had an order for 40+ Sukhois passed without much fuss. The total numbers are quite significant and enough for our needs.

I sometimes wonder at the maliciousness of the converted towards their old identity, but then perhaps not!

AHH delusion eh And there I was thinking it was a Indian delusion......Ok I will dig out the airframe numbers for you...It's funny the fanboys got upset when I proved they only had 60 or so airframes last year. You obviously don't understand why the additional airframes were ordered from RUSSIA rather than being built in HAL which from the previous estimates should have meant that all the airframes should have built by now....WHy is that?

But hey We have a few more reasons to smile than self deluded individuals whose only answer to incompetence is generally "Well What have you done" or "We have learned a lot from the failed projects and it will form a base that will make the MK2 world class!"

[vinod2070]

Originally Posted by keysersoze

AHH delusion eh And there I was thinking it was a Indian delusion......Ok I will dig out the airframe numbers for you...It's funny the fanboys got upset when I proved they only had 60 or so airframes last year. You obviously don't understand why the additional airframes were ordered from RUSSIA rather than being built in HAL which from the previous estimates should have meant that all the airframes should have built by now....WHy is that?

Why are you so concerned about this "previous estimates" business? Estimates can go wrong, the reality may be a bit different and then you take steps to cover any gaps. Happens all the time! Why get so concerned about this?

But hey We have a few more reasons to smile than self deluded individuals whose only answer to incompetence is generally "Well What have you done" or "We have learned a lot from the failed projects and it will form a base that will make the MK2 world class!"

Your problem is that you only "smile" when you think there has been some Indian failure. Like you probably smiled when Chandrayan didn't complete its estimated service life of two years. You must have thought that proved that Pakistan is better in space technology.

You guys live in your own world! You only care about others' supposed incompetence rather than looking at your own. I hope it works for you and you keep doing that. Doesn't harm anyone except you.

And yes, India learned from its failures of SLVs and ASLVs and today has one of the most reliable launch vehicles in the world in the form of PSLV. There is no reason we can't repeat that.

[Araz]

I think it will realistically be another 12 t o18 months of consultations and negotaitions before this deal is announced. I think if IAF goes for a wesern plant, it will increase their potency by leaps and bound.
Araz

[Condor]

Originally Posted by Araz

I think it will realistically be another 12 t o18 months of consultations and negotaitions before this deal is announced. I think if IAF goes for a wesern plant, it will increase their potency by leaps and bound.
Araz

Not if they still use the smaller sized condom user in the cockpit: lol