India to open tender for 126-plus combat jet in November
October 25th, 2011 - 12:33 am ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Oct 24 (IANS) India will open the tender for the world’s single biggest combat jet deal yet for 126 to 189 planes in the first week of November, reliable sources said Monday.
The sources told India Strategic defence magazine (www.indiastrategic.in) that most likely the tenders should be opened on November 4.
Representatives of the two finalists in the fray, French Rafale International and European consortium Cassidian Eurofighter, would be invited and their own bids, submitted earlier, would be opened in their presence. Senior officials of the defence ministry would be present on the occasion.
India had floated the tender for what it calls Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) in 2007 to replace the ageing Soviet vintage aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Four other competitors, US Lockheed Martin F-16 and Boeing Super Hornet F/A- 18, Russian Mig-35 and Swedish Saab Gripen did not make it in the technical flight and weapon evaluation tests.
India Strategic quoted IAF sources as saying that all the aircraft were good but that it was a question of scoring maximum points in the evaluation trials mandated by the Air Staff Qualitative Requirements (ASQRs). And the Eurofighter and Rafale got the maximum points.
Notably, the lower bid in the tender may not determine the winner unless there is a substantial difference in the offering made by the two European companies.
There would be associated costs in terms of spares and support over two years as part of the tender as well as for maintaining the aircraft over a lifetime of 6,000 hours of flying or 40 years.
Transfer of Technology and offsets to the extent of 50 percent of the final cost would also be taken into consideration.
It should take a couple of months to declare the winner, sources told India Strategic.
The cost of the jet deal could range above $15 billion, depending upon the numbers.
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Tags: air staff, boeing super hornet, combat aircraft, combat jet, defence ministry, eurofighter, european consortium, evaluation tests, evaluation trials, french rafale, indian air force, lockheed martin, maximum points, offsets, qualitative requirements, reliable sources, saab gripen, senior officials, substantial difference, vintage aircraft