Carter is looking at the Indian defense ministry to make it easier for US companies to do business with it and wants resolution of issues related to offsets, limitation of liability and delays in decision-making.
The failure to consider the order by the DAC has wider implications as it is unlikely that any decision can be taken on this order by October 15, after which the value of the deal will see a 37 percent hike.
Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne told reporters that the aircraft would be able to operate from the country’s northern-most Advanced Landing Ground at Daulat Beg Oldie close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
The Acceptance Of Necessity (AON) was cleared by the Defense Acquisitions Council (DAC) in February, 2012 and at the time, the order was estimated to be worth around USD 1 billion.
Wing Commander Alok Kumar Thakur was convicted by court martial for allegedly accepting bribes from the representative of French aircraft manufacturer Dassault in a reported sting during the Bangalore Air Show in 2011.
StratPost was invited to the annual Airbus Military Trade Media Briefing in Spain last week and, as it turned out, ended up getting a ride on the A400M. Read about the experience and check out all the pictures.
Feast your eyes on a selection of the best imagery from Aero India 2013. These pictures include the ALH Dhruv, Embraer AEW&C, Rafale, Tiger Moth Light Combat Helicopter and the Czech aerobatic team, the Flying Bulls.
Although the case for the acquisition of the two single-engine trainers is still at a preliminary stage, the IAF is ‘desirous’ of getting their ‘numbers up from 49 to 51’ again and is planning to make a pitch for the aircraft to the Ministry of Defense.
The IAF evaluation of the six competing aircraft for the MMRCA contest took into account the issue of life-cycle cost, which could be loosely understood to mean cost of ownership over the period of operation of the aircraft. This was because it was felt that the true cost of owning a fleet of aircraft was not reflected in the purchase price alone.
A recent French media report offers insight into the French position in the negotiations with the Indian defense ministry on the MMRCA fighter aircraft purchase by the IAF. Here’s an edited translation of the report and an analysis of what it could mean.
The study conducted by IHS Jane’s Aerospace and Defense Consulting, compared the operational costs of the Gripen, Lockheed Martin F-16, Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Dassault’s Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35 aircraft.
DRDO head, Dr. V.K. Saraswat, took a backseat ride in the Swedish Saab’s Gripen C/D aircraft on the sidelines of the Aerospace Forum held at Linköping, Sweden, last week.
Lockheed Martin’s new variant of its successful F-16 fighter aircraft, the F-16V, will have upgraded capabilities that might remind readers of the configuration offered by them for the IAF contest for 126 MMRCA, designated the F-16IN.
This, first of a two-part analysis, examines the MMRCA process and invites you to draw your conclusions as to the veracity of the claims of transparency and adherence to the rule book.
