New Delhi, Feb. 21: A French offer to supply Rafale fighter aircraft is likely to queer the pitch for an Indian Air Force global tender to acquire 126 multi-role combat aircraft in bulk.
The IAF order of about $8 billion is one of the biggest military purchases in the world but so far it was known that India will buy 126 fighter aircraft of a single type.
However, France, which was a strong contender with its Mirage 2000-V aircraft, has now informed the Indian defence establishment that it was more keen to sell its Rafale fighter aircraft.
The chief executive officer of manufacturers Dassault Aviation, Chacks Edelstenne, who is accompanying French President Jacques Chirac on his visit to India, made the offer to minister of state for defence Rao Inderjit Singh.
The IAF is yet to issue the request for proposals to companies wanting to bid.
Dassault is also the manufacturer of the Mirage series of aircraft, preferred by an influential section in the IAF because India already has two operational squadrons of the fighter aircraft.
But Dassault has said it cannot keep its assembly production lines for the Mirage 2000-V aircraft idle and waiting for the Indian order that is in the making and for which contracting could take more than a year.
Instead, Dassault is pushing the Rafale because it is already in production for the French Air Force.
But Dassault has offered 40 Rafale aircraft. This means that the company is expecting that the IAF will alter its terms and might split its order for multi-role combat aircraft and actually tender for more than one type of fighter aircraft.
The deputy chief of air staff, Air Marshal A.K. Nangalia, was present at the meeting between Edelstenne and the minister of state for defence.
India was also separately checking out 10 used Mirage 2000-V aircraft for possible purchase from Qatar but the deal has fallen through.
Edelstenne and the French delegation told Indian government officials that the Rafale was much more advanced than the Mirage 2000-V.
The Rafale now joins the competition for the IAF order, alongside Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Fighting Falcon, Boeing F/A 18 Superhornet, SAAB’s Jas 39C Gripen and RSK MiG Corporation’s MiG 29M/M2.
But the Rafale is more expensive than the Mirage 2000-V that has now opted out of the race.
