India MMRCA 2.0 के लिए या तो Dassault Rafale या F/A-18 Super Hornet का चयन करेगा HD

India MMRCA 2.0 के लिए या तो Dassault Rafale या F/A-18 Super Hornet का चयन करेगा. France’s Dassault Aviation, American firm Boeing and Swedish Saab are the front-runners for the Indian Air Force’s multi-billion dollar contract for 114 fighter jets. However, the Russians are still in contention with two aircraft, as is US manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Top sources in the defence establishment told ThePrint that the main competition is between the Dassault’s Rafale, Boeing’s F/A-18 and the Saab Gripen, even though a total of seven aircraft are vying for the mega deal. The IAF has finalised the Air Staff Quality Requirements (ASQR) for the fighter programme and has moved the file for getting the Acceptance of Necessity (AON) from the Ministry of Defence. Following this, the IAF will come out with an Expression of Interest (EOI) and finally the Request for Proposal (RFP). “With the elections round the corner, the IAF expects to get the AON immediately once the new government is sworn in. The IAF expects the EOI to be issued by the second quarter of this year and the RFP by the last quarter,” a top source said. However, industry sources feel this is a tall order in terms of time tables. Restarting the process :: The IAF had last year issued a Request for Information (RFI) after its previous bid to procure 126 fighter jets was scrapped, following the deal for 36 Rafales in fly-away condition. A total of seven companies had responded to the RFI, including two companies each from the US and Russia. Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Block III, Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Fighting Falcon Block 70, Dassault’s Rafale F3R, Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab’s Gripen E, the Russian United Aircraft Corporation’s MiG-35 and Sukhoi Corporation’s Su-35 were the ones who responded. How the contenders fare :: Sources said that the Rafale is highly priced but the since the one-time payment for India-specific enhancements has already been made, any future Rafales bought will be cheaper. The IAF, which had shortlisted the Rafale in 2012 under the now-scrapped tender for 126 fighters, is keen on more of the same kind. #MMRCA2 #FA18SuperHornetBlock3 #DassaultRafale