SHAH ALAM: India has short-listed the Rafale and Typhoon for its MMRCA programme. They have cut the Gripen, F16, Super Hornet and Mig-35 from the deal. I am of the opinion that the French plane will beat the pan-Europen Typhoon in the end. But who knows right?
NEW DELHI – India has shortlisted Dassault’s Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon for a $12 billion dollar fighter jet deal, cutting out U.S. bidders from one of the largest military contracts of recent years.The U.S. embassy in New Delhi confirmed April 28 that Lockheed Martin’s F-16 and Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet had both been ruled out of the running for India’s planned purchase of 126 multirole combat aircraft. Ambassador Timothy Roemer, who announced separately April 28 that he was resigning his post for personal reasons, said the U.S. government was “deeply disappointed” by the decision.
The long-delayed fighter jet deal has seen fierce competition between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, Sweden’s Saab AB, France’s Dassault Aviation, a European consortium with its Eurofighter Typhoon and the Russian makers of the MiG 35.
It was also the object of intense lobbying during visits to India last year by U.S. President Barack Obama, French President Nicholas Sarkozy and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
It is confirmed Eurofighter and Rafale have been selected and the remaining four are off,” a senior Indian defence ministry official told AFP.
“The grounds for their rejection have been individually conveyed,: said the official, who declined to be identified.
He added that the government hoped to sign the final fighter deal by March 2012.
Saab AB confirmed April 27 that it had been notified its JAS-39 Gripen fighter was no longer in contention.
The Eurofighter is made by the four-nation EADS, representing Germany and Spain, Britain’s BAE Systems and Italy’s Finmeccanica.
The contract includes the outright purchase of 18 combat aircraft by 2012 with another 108 to be built in India.
India, the biggest importer of military hardware among emerging nations, issued the request for proposals to the six firms in 2007 and trials of the aircraft competing for the deal began a year later.
In his statement, Roemer said he had been “personally assured” at the highest levels of the Indian government that the procurement process for the multirole fighter “has been and will be transparent and fair.”
The procurement of the fighter jets is a key part of India’s military modernization program, aimed at securing its borders against its traditional and emerging rivals Pakistan and China.
International consultancy firm KPMG estimates New Delhi will hand out military contracts worth $112 billion by 2016.
–Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (9)
In your opinion bro marhalim, would this event sway our government interest from the supposedly sh to rafale or typhoon, assuming we do have the money?
Reply
No
It would be the Typhoon.
The Rafale is too expensive and exclusive and the french tactics on pushing for profits on refurbishing the mirages means no to rafale.
The Typhoon consortium started the project with so much ambition and now thats tempered by economic realities.
The package they are offering India is amazing.
They have offered India to be a partner in the consortium,full access to all current and new technologies, no restrictive agreements like the US,manufacturing and other offsets.
Most importantly if u look at the Typhoon project, its designed to be an ongoing project ,4th generation ++ ,to be upgraded easily when new technologies are avaliable.
The proposal for both air superiority and ground attack plus carrier based makes it flexible. What Indians typically look for.
The American ambassador has resigned , lol .
Dont know why,maybe he has been watching too much bollywood movies.
They have got billions of dollars worth of contracts for transport,ISR,AWACS planes. more deals planned including the M777 arttillery guns.
The F35 has been offered to India,thats a possibilty for the future.
These countries trust India enough to allow the regulators to say ok to the tech transfers because as we all know money talks,they need the cash to save their own ambitious programs as well.
And the French its also cos they need someone to buy their Rafales.
Reply
Rafale is already carrier capable
Dassault claims, with some truth, that while the Su-30, Super Hornet and Typhoon are all multi-role, it is only the Rafale that is truly instantanously 100% multi-role due to it's electronics. After failing to win an export order for Rafale, Dassault must really be keep it's fingars crossed. Funny enough, the French AF and Navy's Rafale's have only recently been integrated with Damocles, way after the MKM's.
Typhoon is better since it can be integrated to almost any western system. Rafale are more of an exclusive bird....
Anybody seen this:
http://defense-studies.blogspot.com/2011/04/royal-malaysian-navy-plans-to-add-ship.html
Boeing and Saab will now be more aggressive in their efforts to sell their aircraft to Malaysia. Can a good deal be struck? Perhaps, but not if kickbacks and cronyism play their usual role in defence procurements.
Has everyone seen this:
Reply
Its the old allegations being rehashed again.i Whether or not it will stick, its any ones guess. The issue about Perimekar should not be given the deal because it has no track record in maintaining submarines is bogus of course. No I am not supporting Razak Baginda but since Malaysia has not operated a submarine before, citing that as one of the reason is stupid.
India can afford Rafales and Typhoons. Malaysia can only afford Gripens.
Fareed, under the Foreign Military Sales programme, there is no chance of any kickbacks or price inflating occuring. On paper, apart from being the RMAF's favourite, improved relations with Uncle Sam and the level of off-sets and transfers of technology that Boeing can provide over SAAB by virtue of being a much larger and diversified company, would indicate the Super Hornet has a better chance.
rafale will be TUDM best MRCA since we will get
Aesa radar which imposible with super bugs together with french missile even this monster can launch nuke strike mission..