Eurofighter ahead in IAF deal - Likely to pip Russian, US, French jets

[sonicboom]

Eurofighter ahead in IAF deal
Likely to pip Russian, US, French jets for $10-billion ‘deal of the decade’


Man Mohan
New Delhi, January 10

The buzz has started about which new ‘fighter bird’ will rule the Indian skies as well as those of enemy. The Eurofighter aircraft, it seems, has emerged the winner after a long ‘dogfight’ among six foreign 4.5th generation jet planes to clinch over $10-billion Indian Air Force deal for 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA). The second runner-up is said to be the French fighter Rafale.

Despite the aggressive business-oriented visit of US President Barack Obama recently, two major competing American military aircraft makers, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, have lost their pitch.

Growing Indo-US strategic relations have not helped the American diplomatic and arms lobbies to get either of the two planes touch the winning mark. India had shortlisted six aircraft: American Lockheed Martin’s F-16IN ‘Super Viper’, US Boeing’s ‘Super Hornet’ F/A-18IN, European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company NV (EADS)’ Eurofighter Typhoon - EADS is a consortium of British, German, Spanish and Italy firms - French D'assault's Rafale, Swedish Saab’s Gripen, and Russian MiG-35. The MMRCAs induction is likely to start by 2015.

When the file related to the final evaluation of rival aircraft was shown to Defence Minister AK Antony, highly reliable sources told The Tribune that he said that if this was the case, let it be. The Prime Minister’s Office has been made aware about this. Now, a ‘political decision’ is awaited on this mega deal.

Interestingly, on the New Year eve, an important file relating to the deal was found on the roadside in the Khel Gaon area. The file was supposed to be in the custody of an IAS officer of the rank of director in the defence production wing of the Ministry of Defence. An inquiry has been ordered.

The IAF intends to purchase the MMRCA combat jets to replace its aging Russian-made MiG-21 fleet in phases and help in curbing the recent trend of the depleting squadron strength.

India had floated tenders for this deal in August 2007. The exhaustive technical evaluation of the six global manufacturers’ bids was completed last year. Starting from Bangalore, the trials took the competing fighters and their weapons to the hot desert region of Jaisalmer as well as high-altitude Leh.

Incidentally, the IAF ‘top guns’ - after trials at home and abroad - were said to be in favour of Swedish Saab’s Gripen fighters. Boeing’s ‘Super Hornet’ also reportedly gave a tough fight to be among the top four. The Eurofighter is said to be the costliest jet among the competitors.

Lockheed Martin’s F-16 lost mainly as the Air Force pilots’ community raised a critical question: why should India go for the same fighter aircraft that is with our main regional adversary - Pakistan?

The arrival of Lockheed Martin’s F-16 fighter plane for trials had made many in the IAF apprehensive, and they feared that its ‘selection’ - because of over-pitched American lobbying - might become a ‘combat disadvantage’ for India. Pakistan has been operating F-16 aircraft since the mid-eighties and is currently flying the F-16 Block 50.

The Russian MiG-35 was ‘not touched’ by the evaluators as New Delhi and Moscow were busy signing a deal for a fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA).

The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News

[keysersoze]

Well there have plenty of these articles every so often. I would say that it has no value until a decision is made.

[keysersoze]

Actually I might be able to shed some light on this claim...watch this space.......

[sonicboom]

Missing file no big deal: IAF chief

2011-01-11 19:20:00

New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS) Dismissing as 'nothing earth-shaking', the case of a missing file relating to the $10 billion deal for 126 fighter aircraft, India's air chief said Tuesday this will not adversely impact on the contract, which is expected to be signed later this year.

'The file has got nothing earth-shaking and it has nothing to do with national security. It is not going to affect the deal,' the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, told reporters here on the sidelines of a defence function.


The file dealing with the offsets plans of the six foreign vendors vying for the deal went missing in the last week of December 2010 and was later found by the roadside on Khelgaon Marg in south Delhi.


The incident forced the defence ministry to order a probe into the role of two Indian Administrative Service officers of the defence production department for the lapse.


The tendering process for the 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), initiated in August 2007, has entered its final phase after the IAF carried out the flight and weapons evaluation of the six fighter planes competing for the contract, described as the 'mother of all deals' because of its huge cost.


US majors Lockheed Martin's F-16 and Boeing's F/A-18 are in the fray along with Russian MiG-RAC's MiG-35, French Dassault's Rafale, Swedish Saab's Gripen and European consortium EADS' Eurofighter Typhoon for the high value deal.


The defence ministry has made it mandatory for the winning firm to reinvest 50 percent of the deal's value in the Indian defence industry. The missing file dealt with how the six firms would go about this.


'It was part of the (MMRCA) file dealing with some of the offsets proposals and there were three or four enclosures in the file, which dealt with some comments on the offsets proposals. So, it has nothing to do with the deal as such,' Naik contended.


He said two probes had been ordered into the incident, separately by the defence ministry and the IAF.


'The IAF inquiry is into whether correct procedures in handling confidential documents were followed or not. That inquiry is nearing completion. By and large, the procedures were followed. The file was handed over to the ministry nice and proper,' he noted.


On the ministry's enquiry, Naik said he was not aware of what was happening on that front.


The IAF needs the 126 jets to replace its ageing Soviet-era MiG-21 fighter aircraft that have earned the sobriquet 'flying coffins' due to the high rate of air crashes in the late 1990s and the early years of this century.

Missing file no big deal: IAF chief