India is getting closer to making a decision to buy 126 fighters. The MMRCA tender has been called “the mother of all deals”, which involves six types of fighters from the world's leading aircraft manufacturers, but the final decision can be made based on political considerations.
“We have submitted a voluminous report on the results of technical tests of six types of fighters, but these data must be approved by the Ministry of Defense, combined with efficiency, cost and political expediency. All these factors will be taken into account when making the final decision,”said a source to the Indian Air Force.
Flight tests of the aircraft have been completed, and the Ministry of Defense will soon open packages with commercial offers from manufacturing companies to find out which company offers the lowest price. The competition involves American Lockheed Martin F-16IN and Boeing F / A-18 fighters, French Dassault Rafale, European EADS Eurofighter Typhoon, Swedish SAAB Gripen and Russian MiG-35.
“We conducted tests in strict accordance with the requirements (Request for Proposals - RFP), prescribing 643 parameters that must be met by fighters. We presented an objective report on the compliance or non-compliance of the aircraft with the specified parameters,”the source said. It was also confirmed that the Air Force did not create a shortlist of applicants, this can only be done after analyzing the aircraft for the Air Staff Qualitative Requirements (ASQR).
The source also said the aircraft appraisal process was so rigorous and rigorous that the test methodology and decision-making algorithm used are probably the best in the world and could serve as an example for other air forces in similar tenders. He noted that none of the aircraft fully meets the required characteristics presented by the Air Force. He also declined to answer a question about the suitability of these aircraft for the Air Force, noting only that all fighters are the best in their class.
A possible decision to purchase more fighters than the originally planned 126 aircraft is part of the tender documentation. Such a decision can be made only after the conclusion of the primary contract, which is expected by the end of the year.
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