Boeing and Airbus will compete in a new IAF tender for tanker aircraft being conducted for the 3rd time – this time without a Russian bid. Airbus had won both the earlier tenders that were later withdrawn.
Boeing has briefed New Delhi on the aircraft, shortly after the Indian Air Force canceled its tanker tender for which the Airbus A330 MRTT had been selected.
Airbus will offer the upgraded A-330 MRTT Enhanced variant to the IAF, which has selected Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines for the aircraft.
Rolls Royce is hoping the IAF will select it’s Trent 700 engine over the GE CF-6 engine for the Airbus A-330 MRTT aircraft and is relying on performance, costs and market leadership to make its case.
StratPost was invited to visited Airbus Military facilities at Getafe in Spain last week to get a sense of the aircraft acquisition under consideration by the IAF, after the A-330 MRTT was announced as the preferred bid in the refueler competition. Here’s a look at what goes into the aircraft.
Life Cycle Cost was not a consideration in the earlier contest, in which the Airbus A-330 MRTT was selected over the IL-78, before the tender was withdrawn. This time the factor is expected to be a key determinant of the acquisition cost of the two aircraft.
A cost escalation of 50 percent (INR 63,000 crore, in this case) or more, requires approval again from the Ministry of Finance, before the Defense Acquisitions Council (DAC) can proceed with it. With the cost of the tender for India safely ranging from INR 83,000 crore to 1,25,000 crore, the revision of the estimated expenditure on the MMRCA would require the approval of the finance ministry.
28 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and army will overfly the Republic Day parade next Wednesday in New Delhi including 13 fighters and five transport aircraft. Ten helicopters, including three Indian Army Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) will also be part of the flypast.
Airbus has pitched the aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) competition for six mid-air refueling aircraft, in which it is likely to be competing with the Russian IL-78.
Airbus will be submitting a bid in the tender for the purchase of six mid-air-refueling aircraft by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The Indian Air Force contest for mid-air refueling tanker aircraft will depend on how a United States Air Force competition for a massive order for 179 tankers plays out towards the end of the year.
The exercise Garuda 2010, which began on June 14 at Istres Air Base in France, conducted between the Indian Air Force (IAF), French French Armée de l’Air (ALA) and the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), is nearing its end now, with over 60 missions successfully flown.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) began the trials of the C-17 strategic lift aircraft on Monday. The aircraft will be required to land in high altitude airfields, switch off and take off again. Load carrying capability and expeditionary landing and take off ability is also likely to be examined hands-on by IAF pilots.
The fourth round of the Indo-French air exercise Garuda began today at Istres Air Base in Southern France.
Lockheed Martin has engineered its F-16 fighter to enable it to meet the air-to-air refueling requirements with the ‘Probe and Drogue’ system, a demonstrator of which was displayed at the Paris Air Show recently.
