NEW DELHI – Six global aircraft manufacturers have responded to a Requestfor Information (RFI) from the Indian Air Force to supply 110 fighteraircraft. The deadline for the RFI was July 6. All six manufacturers haveearlier bid for the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), which wascancelled in 2015, The Hindu has reported.

Officials confirmed that six bids have been received, of which LockheedMartin F-16 and SAAB Gripen are single-engine fighters, while Boeing F-18,Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and United Aircraft Corporation MiG-35are twin-engine ones.

“The bids will be evaluated after which the IAF will issue the Request ForProposal (RFP) with the exact specifications of the aircraft to beprocured. The RFP is expected by early next year,” an official source said.

The RFI, issued on April 6, states that the government plans to buy 110fighters jets, of which 85% will have to be built in India under the ‘Makein India’ programme in partnership with a “Strategic Partner/IndianProduction Agency.”

The procurement will be processed through the Strategic Partnership (SP)model under the Defencelink>ProcurementProcedure. However, the SP model itself needs some clarification whichcould delay the process.

Air Force sources expressed confidence that the technical evaluation andtrials can be completed very quickly, as all the aircraft have beenextensively tested earlier.

“Once the process starts, from the technical evaluation to the down selectof one aircraft can be completed in less than two years. After that itdepends on how fast the contract negotiations can be completed,” a sourcesaid.

Earlier, the IAF was looking for a single-engine jet to replace the MiG-21sand MiG-27s being phased out of service, but the RFI did not specify it,opening up the contest to both single-and twin-engine jets. Officials saidboth configurations were equally competent and the final choice woulddepend on the price and extent of technology transfer.

According to informal estimates, the entire cost could be worth over $15billion. Single-engine aircraft will cost lower than the twin-engine jets,both in unit and operational costs.

The move comes almost two decades after the IAF began the last major effortto acquire fighters in large numbers. The effort culminated in the globaltender for 126 fighters under the MMRCA deal which was cancelled in 2015after the Modi government decided to buy 36 Rafale fighters from Franceunder a government-to- government deal.