Dassault's Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon Ahead In Race For Fighter Plane Deal

[kdsingh80]

BANGALORE: In what could turn out to be the last lap of the high-profile $11-billion Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender competition, the ministry of defence on Thursday is expected to cull the list of contenders to two as it looks to place the order for 126 fighters for the Indian Air Force .

According to defence and strategic blog, StratPost, the MoD has asked Dassault's Rafale and the pan-European consortium built Eurofighter to extend the validity of their commercial bids, the deadline for which will expire on April 28.

The report would mean that global defence vendors such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Saab and MiG have lost out on what was often touted as the most lucrative defence contract in play.

Ministry officials, when contacted by ET, refused to confirm any of the developments. "We can only confirm that the sealed commercial bids of the six competitors in the MMRCA fighter competition expires on Thursday. We expect to have a statement ready by afternoon," MoD spokesman Sitanshu Kar said.

Eurofighter representatives said they need time to respond. Officials at Boeing declined comment.

The 126-aircraft MMRCA contract is the largest defence procurement programme in India and the most-watched fighter competition around the world. In the running are Mikoyan's MiG-35, the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon , Saab Gripen, Boeing F/A-18E/F and Lockheed Martin F-16.

Earlier in the month, the ministry had asked all the contenders to resubmit their offset proposals, but according to the country's Defence Procurement Procedure, offsets are not the prime criteria for source selection. In February at Aero India, IAF chief, Air Chief Marshall PV Naik had announced that New Delhi would decide within two weeks about which aircraft it would buy, and actually sign the US $10 billion contract by September.

"The CNC (Cost Negotiation Committee) is likely to start in a week or two. Taking that as the datum and giving them another 6-8 months, the contract is likely to be signed in September," declared Naik.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/dassaults-rafale-eurofighter-typhoon-ahead-in-race-for-fighter-plane-deal/articleshow/8107916.cms

[tonyhp32]

These two firms must have offered the largest bribes!

[dalsingh101]

Another take on it:

India takes a NAM-style route on $11bn fighter contract

By John Elliott

Thursday, 28 April 2011 at 1:59 pm

India used to be a proud leader of the old Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), standing notionally between the US and Soviet blocs, but always tilting towards Moscow.

It is therefore both apt and heartening to hear today reports that the government is taking a truly NAM-style route on an $11bn contract for fighter jets by rejecting bids from both America’s Lockheed Martin F-16s and Boeing F-18s and Russia’s MiG-35s.

This is a diplomatically brave decision that most observers never expected after India signed its nuclear power deal with the US in 2008. Numerous US officials from President Barack Obama downwards have lobbied hard for the $11bn multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) contract, indicating that it was expected as a nuclear thank-you. What seemed most likely therefore was that Lockheed or Boeing would be included until the end of the process – and that the US would not give up until it had driven other bidders out of the contest.

The US offerings however did not match up to required standards during flight testing – nor did the MiGs. The Griffin fighter from Saab of Sweden has also been rejected. The contest is now between Typhoon jets from the four-nation EADS Eurofighter consortium (Germany, Spain, UK and Italy) and Rafale from Dassault of France. India’s MoD is believed to have been impressed with the Typhoon, while the IAF has strong links with Dassault, whose Mirage fighters have been successfully in service in India since the early 1980s and are now being upgraded.

Rejection of the US companies therefore shows a degree of sophisticated detached decision-making from the Ministry of Defence’s minister, A.J.Antony. Together with his senior acquisition officials, he seems determined to clear a logjam of pending defence contracts, and to do so in a way that shows rare integrity in a country that has become internationally infamous for widespread corruption. The “clean” record of Antony, and of at least some of his top officials, is important because there are bound to be allegations of corruption, especially since there was a scandal in the early 1980s over the Mirage deal.

Curiously the US ambassador to India, Timothy Roemer, chose today to announce his resignation – “for personal, professional and family considerations”. That is being widely interpreted as a reaction to the loss of the MRCA contract, as well as the failure of the India-US nuclear deal to generate increased defence co-operation between the two countries, plus nuclear power plant contracts for US companies.

However, I am told that Roemer’s resignation has been expected for some weeks because, as a senior Democratic politician, he is returning to the US to work on Obama’s re-election campaign. If that is so, it was surely silly to announce the departure today.

In any case the defence industry expects sops to be announced for the US very soon, notably a $5bn order for ten Boeing C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft with an additional order for a further six aircraft, both being placed through the negotiated government-to-government foreign military sales (FMS) route without competitive tenders. Lockheed is also expected to receive further negotiated orders for its C-130J Hercules transport aircraft, six of which are already contracted. Russia might be disappointed that its MiGs have been rejected, but it already has substantial orders for current and future jet fighters.

Despite the personal and political angle for his departure, Roemer cannot have helped America’s cause when he was reported recently by WikiLeaks saying the India’s aerospace industry was “two to three decades behind the US and other western countries”, adding that Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), the government’s aircraft manufacturing company, was “untested and suspect” as a partner for advanced aircraft. All that is true but it must have upset HAL and the defence establishment.

However, to come back to my main point, the decisions – which have yet to be officially confirmed – do show an unexpected independence from US influence that had not been expected when the nuclear deal was struck. It has not been a good year so far for India with all the current corruption scandals, but this indicates that, in international diplomacy, it is keeping the US firmly in its place.

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/04/28/india-takes-a-nam-route-on-11bn-fighter-contract/

[tonyhp32]

or these two firms offered the biggest bribes!

[kdsingh80]

Isn't Typhoon is the best aircraft available at present

[dalsingh101]

What blows my mind is how simple pendu khalistani types seem totally oblivious to all this, especially in terms of how this impacts on western relations with India and in turn, their corollary position towards them.

By all means go on marches and highlight abuses as much as you can but don't ignore the fact that in the face of billion dollar deals like this, certain governments aren't really going to give a half penny toss about the Sikh cause.

We really do seem like a quom of naive simpletons sometimes.

Edited April 28, 2011 by dalsingh101

[kdsingh80]

Well there is another concern for Sikhs.Until now Sikhs have been Flying Migs in IAF without any problem but Will their be any issue for Sikhs ,while flying Typhoons or Rafale because if that could be the case then Sikhs Fighter pilots will not be allowed to fly Typhoons

[dalsingh101]

I heard that whilst the first batch of the ordered planes will be manufactured abroad, the contract stipulates that the later bulk of them will be manufactured in India itself. If true, that's a smart move.

There have apparently been issues with MIGS in terms of spare parts and the US's close relations with Pakistan might have influenced things against them?

[kdsingh80]

I heard that whilst the first batch of the ordered planes will be manufactured abroad, the contract stipulates that the later bulk of them will be manufactured in India itself. If true, that's a smart move.

There have apparently been issues with MIGS in terms of spare parts and the US's close relations with Pakistan might have influenced things against them?

india will only assemble the parts.I don't think India has technology to manufacture Sixth gen Fighter aircraft.They are already trying level best to make Tejas Which is only now succesful after they attached engine imported from USA .India will test its indigenuis engine Kaveri in 2015 so We are way far behind in manufactoring aircrafts IN India.

As far USA is concerned even Saudi changed their airforce from F-16 to Typhoon

So USA planes have problems.The only issue here i see is that all these European countries are puppets to USA so what their daddy will they will do that.

[dalsingh101]

Do you think India is being anyone's chumcha right now? Or do you think she has managed to keep her political independence?

A lot of people were surprised at how India knocked the states on this contract.

[kdsingh80]

Do you think India is being anyone's chumcha right now? Or do you think she has managed to keep her political independence?

A lot of people were surprised at how India knocked the states on this contract.

India is surrounded by world's two most dangerous countries so it cannot compromise on security issues so they have tp pick best arms available in world

[dalsingh101]

India is surrounded by world's two most dangerous countries so it cannot compromise on security issues so they have tp pick best arms available in world

I wonder what they are buying from the Jews these days??

[kdsingh80]

I wonder what they are buying from the Jews these days??

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/KD02Df02.html

Israel rushes to India's defense