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Air-pockets before the air fair

In a few days, the first of the foreign fighters will land in Bangalore to kick-start field trials for India’s biggest open tender military contract ever, worth almost Rs60,000 crore.

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In a few days, the first of the foreign fighters will land in Bangalore to kick-start field trials for India’s biggest open tender military contract ever, worth almost Rs60,000 crore, for 126 fighters. Just days away from that, industrial espionage, national rivalries and gigantic logistical nightmares take over the race.

The complexities of the field trials would be unheard of in Indian military standards. Six of the contenders — two American fighters (F-18 and F-16), three from Europe (Eurofighter, Gripen and Rafale) and one from Russia (MIG-35) — would land in India for extensive evaluation by a team of officers drawn from various branches of air force and outside. Those from the IAF’s Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, DRDO’s Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification and HAL will be involved in the evaluation process.

The process starts this August and winds up next summer. Competing fighters will be in India for two to three weeks, air force sources indicate. The first fighters to land could be from the US.

Sources said a large number of air force officials, respective fighter companies and others have been shuttling round the globe for the field trials. Representatives of vendors came to India to survey locations in Bangalore, Jaisalmer and Leh for the field trials.

Presently, air force is in the process of sending pilots and engineers to vendor locations for training. Vendors have been asked to bring at least one double-seater fighter for the trials, but most of the companies are expected to have at least one back-up during the trial period.

The teams will also carry out evaluations in the home countries of the fighters. None of the six contenders are expected to fly their fighters across continents armed with missiles.

“So the weapon trials would have to be at the home bases,” said an air force source. However, the air force has already said it would prefer to carry out the firing in India. “That would significantly shoot up our insurance charges,” says a source in one of the companies.

Lockheed boss flees
Even as US firm Lockheed Martin makes an aggressive pitch with its legendary F-16 fighter, it has embroiled itself in an embarrassing controversy that forced its India chief to quit and leave India secretly. In a bizarre twist, Lockheed Martin headquarters sent back to the MoD a couple of its internal files that the US defence firm had illegally obtained. The files came back because of a mess-up by a senior executive who thought it was legitimately handed over to the firm by the MoD.

The heat is on
Sources from Israel Aerospace Industries alleged, through Israeli media, that they were forced to quit a partnership with Gripen, the Swedish fighter, for a contract. Pressure from Pentagon forced the Israelis to keep out of the lucrative contract, but it now looks like the US was paving way for the American fighter companies.
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