Technical bids for 126 fighter jets submitted
Friday, 02 May 2008, 00:30 IST
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New Delhi: The defence ministry Monday received proposal offerings from six international players for the acquisition of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) by the Indian Air Force. "All the six companies have responded for the technical bids for the $10 billion deal," a defence official said. The six companies and their contending products include - Boeing's F/A-18IN Super Hornet, Lockheed-Martin's F-16IN Fighting Falcon, Saab's JAS-39IN Gripen, RAC-MiG's MiG-35, European conglomerate's Typhoon and Dassault's Rafale. The U.S. embassy here Monday submitted the proposals on behalf of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the two leading American aerospace companies. Boeing has said the delivery of the first F/A-18IN Super Hornets can begin approximately 36 months after contract award. "The technical bids will be examined by the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC), which will shortly tell whether the offering are in order or not," the official added. The bids will be followed by trials, which can take about an year, after which financial bids will be opened. India issued a request for proposal (RFP) for 126 multi-role combat fighters in August 2007. Boeing completed its proposal before the initial March 3 deadline, which the defence ministry rescheduled for April 28. Under the conditions of IAF's RFP, 18 of the jet fighters would be brought off the shelf and the remaining 108 will be manufactured by the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd through licensed transfer of technology.
Source: IANS
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