NEW DELHI – India is planning to revise the specifications for one of theworld’s biggest fighter jet orders, people familiar with the matter said, amove that would allow manufacturers such as Boeing Co. and United AircraftCorp. to pitch their twin-engine combat aircraft.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has asked the Indian Air Force ifthe search for fighter jets could be expanded to include twin-engineaircraft after Lockheed Martin Corp. and Saab AB were the only ones left inthe fray with single-engine products that met the earlier norms, the peoplesaid, asking not to be identified as the discussions are private.
The South Asian country started looking for new warplanes in 2007, acontest that ended with the government selecting Dassault Aviation SA tobuy 126 Rafale jets for $11 billion. With talks stalling over price andquality guarantees, the government subsequently scrapped the purchase andbought 36 jets separately to speed up the process.
The proposal for the change is being discussed, and there has been nodecision yet, the people said. Defense ministry spokeswoman SwaranashreeRao Rajashekar declined to comment.
The nation’s air force and navy require as many as 400 single-anddouble-engine combat aircraft, the government has said. The air force isseeking at least 100 planes in an order worth about $15 billion, while theorder for the 57 naval planes could be worth about $10 billion, accordingto Jane’s Information Services.
Earlier, the Times of India newspaper, citing sources that it didn’tidentify, reported that the government had scrapped a plan to buysingle-engine combat planes. In the original contest, Dassault defeatedBoeing’s F/A-18, Lockheed’s F-16, United Aircraft Corp.’s MiG-35, Saab’sGripen and Eurofighter Typhoon.
Acquiring new fighter planes is part of Prime Minister Modi’s bid tomodernize the country’s aging military equipment with a $250 billionspending. But it has been bogged down by a defense procurement processwhich is known for delays, backtracking and a history of corruption, makingit a sensitive, slow-going process. In the meantime, India’s air forcestill relies on Soviet-era MiG-21s and Russian Sukhoi SU-30MKIs. -Bloomberg