Brezilya F-X2 İhalesinde Gripen Önde (mi?) - Gelişmeler

Gripen'ın Brezilya'daki şansının oldukça yüksek olduğuna dair yeni haberler geliyor. En son İtalyan Selex Galileo firması, F-X2 projesi için önerilen Gripen NG'de kullanılacak AESA radar sisteminin ortak geliştirilmesi için Brezilyalı ATMOS firması ile 5 Ocak'ta bir mutabakat muhtırası imzalamış.

Jane's Defence Industry'nin 06.01.2010 tarihli haberine göre Vixen 1000E/ES05 Raven adlı radarın geliştirilmesi için Brezilyalı ATMOS firmasına teknoloji transferi ve bazı parçaların üretimi verilecek. ATMOS ayrıca radarın üçüncü ülkelere satışında da pay sahibi olacak.

Selex teams with ATMOS to boost Gripen F-X2 bid

Date Posted:  06-Jan-2010

Jane's Defence Industry

Gareth Jennings Jane's Aviation Desk Editor

Selex Galileo has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Brazil's ATMOS Sistemas to collaborate in the development of its active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for the Saab JAS 39 Gripen NG combat aircraft, it announced on 5 January.

The Vixen 1000E/ES05 Raven AESA radar, which is currently being wholly developed by Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a major selling point for the Gripen's entry into Brazil's F-X2 fighter replacement competition, the result of which is due to announced later this year.

According to Selex, the MoU will include technology transfer, work share and co-operative development of the radar, all of which are key requirements in the F-X2 bid to equip the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira - FAB) with 36 next-generation fighter aircraft (a total that could rise to as many as 120 aircraft, in Jane's view, by the completion of the programme).

As all the component parts of the Raven radar have already been cleared for export, technology export approval for the system should not be a problem.

With the radar being developed in Scotland, the Swedish Gripen NG bid already has the full backing of the UK government, and teaming with another Brazilian company (Saab has already secured an industrial partnership with Brazilian aerospace group Embraer) will boost its chances still further.

Tony Ogilvy, Vice-President, International Marketing for Gripen, told Jane's in November 2009 that the fact that neither Sweden nor the UK have any "real history" in Latin America will be seen as an advantage by the Brazilian government.

Through Embraer, Brazil would produce 40 per cent of each Gripen sold to the FAB and will have exclusive export rights to the rest of Latin America if the Swedish fighter won the F-X2 contest.

While Ogilvy feels that the Gripen is "most definitely" the aircraft of choice for the FAB, he concedes that, with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva having already publicly stated his preference for the rival Dassault Rafale, the final choice may come down to political expediency rather than platform capability.

Dassault has not made public details of its bid and local teaming arrangements. However, the Brazilian president told Agence France Presse on 5 September 2009 that the French package of technology transfer options gave Rafale an "exceptional comparative advantage" in the tender.

The third competitor in the competition is Boeing with its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Boeing has offered local assembly of the aircraft and will subcontract the manufacture of a number of subassemblies for the platform to Brazilian industry. In-country support by local industry for both the aircraft and engine are also included in the Boeing bid, with the company offering to integrate Brazil's current non-US missile inventory onto the aircraft.

Bu arada defence-aerospace sitesi, "Brezilya F-X2 İhalesinde Gripen Önde (mi?)" başlıklı yazımda bahsettiğim, Folha de Sao Paolo gazetesinin haberinin tam metnini, İngilizce'ye çevirerek yayınlamış. Haber metninin satır aralarında Brezilya Hava Kuvvetleri'nin söz konusu teknik değerlendirme raporuna ilişkin ayrıntılar var. Çeviri metnindeki koyu ile işaretlenmiş vurguları ben ekledim.

Brazilian Air Force Recommends Purchase of Gripen NG, the Least Expensive Finalist of the FX-2 Competition  

(Source: Folha de San Paolo; published Jan. 5, 2009)

(Issued in Portuguese only; unofficial translation by defense-aerospace.com)

SAO PAOLO, Brazil --- The French Dassault Rafale fighter was rated in third and last place in the technical report that the Brazilian Air Force Command submitted to Defense Minister Nelson Jobim on the project FX-2 fleet renewal program.

The Gripen NG, offered by Sweden’s Saab, ranked first in the evaluation, and the F-18 Super Hornet offered by US-based Boeing came second.

The result will constrains the government and further delay the final decision on the proposed purchase of 36 new combat aircraft, by opposing the pro-Swedish technical evaluation of the Air Force to the political and diplomatic preference given by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to the offer presented by the French.

The decision in favor of Rafale was even announced in a joint statement signed by Presidents Lula and Nicolas Sarkozy last September, but the Brazilian government soft-pedaled after the strong political backlash which emerged because the air force had not completed the technical evaluation of the competitors.

Now the government is at an impasse: either over-rules the air force, and buys the Rafale, or its risks French anger by following the air force’s recommendations and buying the Gripen NG. Formally, the President is free to choose any of the three.

According to Folha, the "executive summary" of the report of FAB with the final conclusions of more than 30,000 pages of data, pointed to the financial factor as decisive for tanking the Gripen NG in first place. Gripen NG is single-engined and is still in the design phase although based on the current Gripen, and it is the cheapest of the three final competitors.

The difference in price is as much on cost of the aircraft as on the cost of its maintenance. Saab says it offered the Gripen NG at half the price of the Rafale, or about US $ 70 million per unit. It also says that its cost per flight hour is one-fourth of the Rafale’s, which Dassault disputes: as the Rafale has two engines, it is admittedly more expensive to operate, but would also perform better.

The Brazilian air force, which would bear these costs during the 30-year life of the aircraft, considers this a priority issue.

The technology transfer issue also weighed on the air force’s recommendation. The Gripen NG is still in the development phase, and in theory this offers greater access to its technologies for future business partners, such as Embraer. Saab promised to locate final production in Brazil, but Dassault has also offered it for the Rafale. The problem, the air force said, is that the Rafale is a finished product, which would presumably allow only a lower rate of transfer of production know-how.

The report of the FAB did not consider as negative the fact that the Swedish aircraft is single-engined, as in modern aircraft that is seen as a minor problem in the incidence of accidents.

The Rafale had three major obstacles, according to the air force’s evaluation:

1) Its price is considered prohibitive, despite what French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised Lula.

2) The promised transfer of technology was considered lacking in ambition by Brazil. This is a "finished product", which would be difficult for Brazil to sell to other countries.

3) Embraer, consulted by the Air Force, said that if the Rafale was chosen it would have no interest in participating in the project because it would gain very little in terms of technology and business.

The evaluation report was prepared by COPAC (Coordinating Committee for the Combat Aircraft Program) and ratified by the High Command of the Air Force on December 18.

Jobim returned to Brasilia last night ready to meet with the Air Force commander, Brigadier Juniti Saito. Officially, to gain time, the government’s position is that the FAB has not handed in the document.

The minister already knew the outcome from a trip he took with Saito as China and Ukraine at the end of the year. The two used a layover in Paris to discuss the issue with the president of COPAC, Brigadier Dirceu Tondolo Noro, who, according to Folha, was called to meet them in the French capital at very short notice.

The Brazilian procurement is one of the major acquisition programs in the world, and may exceed 10 billion Brazilian reals.

In an interview with Folha in December, Jobim admitted that he had intervened to change the rules of the COAPC report, but without acknowledging that his intention was to prevent the air force from selecting an aircraft that would have displeased the Planalto (Brazil’s Presidential residence—Ed.)

Brezilya F-X2 İhalesinde Gripen Önde (mi?)

DefenseNews haberine göre Brezilya Hava Kuvvetleri'nin tercihi Gripen'dan yana. Haberin kaynağı Brezilyalı Folha de Sao Paolo gazetesinin ele geçirdiği ve Brezilya Hava Kuvvetleri tarafından hazırlanmış bir rapor.

Bu rapora göre Rafale, Brezilya HvK'nin ikinci tercihi bile değilmiş. Gripen'dan sonraki tercih F/A-18E/F Super Hornet olarak belirlenmiş.

Brezilya Devlet Başkanı de Silva bir süre önce Fransız Devlet Başkanı Sarkozy ile görüşmesinden sonra, Rafale için görüşmelere başlanacağı gafını yapmıştı. Devlet Başkanı'nın bu açıklamasından sonra Brezilya Savunma Bakanlığı, ihalenin henüz tamamlanmadığı, nihai kararın verilmediği şeklinde düzeltme yayınlamak zorunda kalmıştı.

Habere göre Gripen'ın en avantajlı olduğu alanlar düşük maliyeti ve önerilen geniş teknolojik katılım paketleri. Rafale'nin orta - uzun vadede ortak üretimde fazla  bir kâr marjı ihtimaline sahip olmaması, başka bir ifade ile uzun vadede üçüncü ülkelere ihrac şansının düşük olması, uçağın yüksek fiyat etiketi ile birlikte listenin sonunda yer almasına neden olmuş.

Brazilian Air Force Backs Gripen In Jet Debate

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Published: 6 Jan 2010 06:55
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BRASILIA, Brazil - The Brazilian Air Force's first choice in the contest for a $7 billion contract for 36 high-tech fighter jets is the NG Gripen by Sweden's Saab, and not the government's pick, the French Rafale, Folha de Sao Paulo reported Jan. 5.

Citing an Air Force technical report, the newspaper said the French jet was not even the Air Force's second pick for the fighters. The runner-up was the F/A-18 Super Hornet by U.S. group Boeing.

The Rafale, an multirole fighter made by Dassault, had been seen as leading the pack since President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced jointly in September that Brazil was negotiating to buy the delta-winged aircraft.

If that intent to purchase is confirmed, it would be the first export sale of the Rafale, possibly making it more attractive to other potential buyers Switzerland and India.

But Saab and Boeing are fighting fiercely to land the Brazilian contract, reportedly slashing prices to do so.

Lula's government has said the deal is not yet done with Dassault. It is waiting for an Air Force evaluation of the three contenders to be completed. Still, Lula has stressed that the final decision is his, and will be based on political and strategic considerations.

The priority for Brazil is to acquire technology through the purchase so it can end up with the capability to build its own 21st-century fighters.

Folha said the Air Force preferred the Swedish model because it was less costly and potentially had better commercial possibilities. And profit margins on future local production of the French jet were theoretically less interesting to local aviation giant Embraer, the Folha report added.
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4443339&c=AME&s=AIR

Haftalık Bakış #1: MiG-21'in Halefi Kim Olacak?

Savunma Sanayi Haftalık Haber Gazetesi'nde, "Haftalık Bakış" adı altında bir köşede yazmaya başladım. Amatör bir ruhla savunma sanayiine yönelik haber ve yorum sunmayı hedefleyen bu internet gazetesindeki ilk köşe yazımın başlığı, "MiG-21'in Halefi Kim Olacak?"...

Her türlü yorum ve eleştiriye açığım, hatta açım.

Brezilya'nın F-X2 Projesi

DefPro'nun aşağıdaki haberine göre Boeing (F/A-18E/F), Dassault (Rafale) ve Saab (Gripen NG), 36 adet yeni nesil savaş uçağı tedariği kapsayan F-X2 projesi kapsamındaki tekliflerini 2 Şubat itibariyle Brezilya Hava Kuvvetleri (FAB) ve Savunma Bakanlığı müşterek komisyonuna sunmuşlar. FAB komutanı TümGeneral Juaniti Saito, seçimin Haziran - Temmuz civarında yapılacağını ve sözleşmenin Ekim ayında imzalanacağını beyan etmiş.

Ancak 5 Şubat'ta Savunma Bakanı Nelson Jobim, sürpriz bir beyanatta bulunmuş: Kendisini ziyart eden Rus Rosoboronesport şirketi yetkililerinin, Su-35 uçağı ile ihale kapsamında değerlendirmeye alınmak istediklerini söylediğini, kendisinin de bunun kesinlikle mümkün olduğu şeklinde cevap verdiğini söylemiş. Bakan, aynı durumun Eurofighter için de geçerli olduğunu eklemiş. Üstelik teknik değerlendirmenin Temmuz - Ağustos gibi biteceğini ve kararın daha sonra verileceğini eklemiş.

Haberde, bu durumda Lockheed Martin'in de kesinlikle tekrar yarışa dahil olmak için ısrar edeceği yorumu yapılmış.

Su-35 and Eurofighter back in Brazil

08:42 GMT, March 6, 2009 On 2 February, the three final contenders in the Brazilian Air Force's F-X2 competition for the procurement of 36 new-generation combat aircraft - Boeing with the F/A-18E/F, Dassault with the Rafale and Gripen International with the Gripen NG - submitted their detailed technical, financial and industrial proposals to the Air Force/Ministry of Defence joint commission that is formally in charge of the programme. The Commander of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), Lt.Gen. Juaniti Saito is on record having stated that the winning design will be selected by June or July at the latest, with contract signature then expected by around October.

But on 5 February, the Defence Minister Nelson Jobim made a totally surprising statement during his official radio programme, 'Bom Dia, Ministro'. The Minister said: “Yesterday [4 February] I received at the Ministry a visit by a delegation of the Russian organisation Rosoboronexport, which represents Sukhoi company which offered to bring their Su-35 aircraft to Brazil for a new examination by the FAB. I said that it was certainly possible for them to bring their aircraft here, and that the FAB would evaluate it. The same will apply to the Italians who are offering the Eurofighter. That is, by July/August we will have the results of the technical options currently being assessed by the FAB, and we will then take a political decision."

On the face of it, the statement by the Minister would seem to indicate a political intervention to effectively overturn the results of the first selection by the joint commission, which did eliminate the Su-35, the Eurofighter and the F-16 and force the FAB into re-evaluating all proposals again (if Rosoboronexport and Alenia are actually allowed to re-enter the competition, Lockheed Martin would most certainly demand the same).

At the time of this writing, the official position of the Command of the FAB is that they have not been informed of any change in the programme structure and time schedule.

Apart from the perplexing implications of the Defence Minister's apparent move to interfere with an ongoing technical and financial evaluation process, any delay in the F-X2 programme risks to wreck the entire process. The FAB absolutely needs to arrive at a binding decision within the next few months, both because the impact of the global economic crisis is already being felt (Treasury has demanded for 50% of the investment portion of this year's defence budget to be freezed), and because 2010 being a presidential election year any major procurement decision will have to be postponed until a new administration takes office.

It is sobering to remember in this regard that the programme is called F-X2 because a previous F-X programme collapsed in 2005 under very similar circumstances.

http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/262/

Bulgaristan'da Gripen Avantajlı

Daha önce Bulgaristan'ın yeni savaş uçağı ihtiyacı kapsamında İsveçli Saab'ın yaptığı Gripen teklifini aktarmıştım. Air-Attack'ın haberine göre ihalede Gripen oldukça avantajlı konumda:

Gripen Tipped as Winner for Bulgaria's USD 1 B Fighter Jet Contract

The Bulgarian government is looking to buy a new fleet of fighter jets, launching a USD 1B battle involving some of the biggest arms companies in the world, the British Independent reported Saturday.

Boeing, which manufactures the F/A-18, Dassault Aviation of France, and Gripen, the Swedish jet aircraft maker owned by aerospace group Saab, have already responded to the request for information from the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence.

Eurofighter, the jet maker part-owned by BAE Systems, is "considering its response", said a spokesman. "The likelihood is that we will be in it," he added.

Lockheed Martin, maker of the F-16, is expected to meet Bulgaria's MoD later this month.

The Independent cites Sandy Morris, an analyst at ABN Amro, as saying that Gripen might have the best chance at winning the contract because its JAS 39 jet is cheaper than the Eurofighter, which he estimated costs about £50m per plane.

The manufacturer has won similar contracts in the Czech Republic and Hungary. "These have proved pretty happy hunting grounds for Gripen," said Morris. "They have proved themselves quite nimble."

Bulgaria is currently reliant on a fleet of Russian-made MiG 29 jets but is understood to be interested in replacing them with between 16 and 20 planes, which could easily push the total value of the contract past USD 1 M. A request for information is the first step in a bidding process, which can take several years.

İsveç'in İhtiyaç Fazlası JAS-39 Gripen Satışı

İsveç Hava Kuvvetleri Komutanı Håkan Syrén, Svenska Dagbladet gazetesine yaptığı açıklamada envanterdeki 170 civarındaki JAS-39 Gripen ön hat savaş uçağından 100 civarına ihtiyaç duyduklarını, geriye kalan 65 - 70 civarındaki Gripen'ın ihtiyaç fazlası olarak satılabileceğini açıkladı. Syrén'in beyanatına göre satıştan yaklaşık 20 milyar İsveç Kronu (yaklaşık 2.7 milyar ABD Doları) gelir elde edilmesi bekleniyor.

Bilindiği gibi Macaristan, Çek Cumhuriyeti ve Güney Afrika halihazırda JAS-39 Gripen kullanıcısı ülkeler. Bu ülkeler ilave Gripen tedariği ile ilgilenebileceklerini beyan etmişlerdi. İlaveten Brezilya, Tayland, Bulgaristan gibi ülkelerin çok rollü hafif savaş uçağı gereksinimleri mevcut.

İsveç gazetesindeki haberin aslı:

Hårdbantning av flygvapnet

Försvaret tvingas till ännu en kraftig nedrustning. Antalet Jasplan som vid 2004 års försvarsbeslut skulle uppgå till 140 minskas till 100. Det innebär att totalt 65–70 plan som kostat skattebetalarna minst 20 miljarder kronor ska skrotas – om industrin inte lyckas exportera dem.

Det framgår av ett förslag som överbefälhavaren (ÖB) Håkan Syrén igår lämnade till försvarsminister Leni Björklund.

I riksdagens försvarsbeslut 2004 sades att Sverige ha fyra divisioner Jasplan. Beslutet gällde åren 2004– 2007. I regeringens budgetunderlag då talades det om 140 plan, i stordivisoner om 35 plan i varje. Men i ÖB:s underlag inför 2007 års budget föreslår han nu att försvaret endast behåller ”100 operativa flygplan”.

Detta är en väldigt stor minskning av flygvapnet?
– Ja, men det är en anpassning till de politiska beslut som fattas, säger generallöjtnant Mats Nilsson som är försvarets produktionschef till SvD.

1975 hade Sverige cirka 700 stridsflygplan i 40 divisioner. Sedan dess har försvarsbesluten halverat flygvapnets styrka till åtta divisioner år 2000 och fyra divisioner i 2004 års försvarsbeslut.

Visserligen har Sverige tidigare skrotat Draken-plan i förtid, men de ersattes då av modernare Viggenplan. När Viggen skrotades kom Jas Gripen som ersättare. Nu är det en ren nedskärning, utan några nya plan som kompenserar nedgången.

Siffran 100 Jasplan i Sveriges försvar kan ställas i relation till de totalt 204 Jasplan som svenska staten beställt.

Av dessa har 14 Jasplan byggts om och sålts till Ungern och 14 till Tjeckien. Efter några haverier och ombyggnad till provflygplan innebär det en lite för stor numerär på kring 170 Jasplan. Med ett 100-plansflygvapen blir det nära 70 plan som inte längre behövs.

– Vi måste ha en riktig numerär för att långsiktigt kunna driva systemet vidare utifrån den insatsorganisation som riksdag och regeringen beslutat, säger Mats Nilsson.

Är det ekonomi eller hotbild som gör att man minskar till 100 plan?
– Det tycker jag inte är en relevant fråga. Vad vi vill göra är att få ut högsta möjliga operativa effekt som långsiktigt bär mot de krav vi har på oss, svarar Mats Nilsson.

De plan som försvaret vill ha kvar är de modernaste versionerna av Jas, C/D. Dessa 69 plan kan tankas i luften och användas i internationella insatser. Till det kommer de äldsta Jasplanen, version A/B, som försvaret har 101 stycken av.

Här föreslår ÖB att industrin moderniserar 31 Jasplan till C/D-status.

– Ett naturligt steg för oss nu är att ha en enhetlig flotta. Det blir driftsmässigt billigare för oss, säger generallöjtnant Mats Nilsson.

Men det innebär alltså att 65-70 plan blir överflödiga. Hela Jas-programmet, inklusive utveckling, har kostat skattebetalarna runt 100 miljarder kronor under 20 år. Uppskattningsvis har de 70 planen som nu inte behövs kostat 20 miljarder kronor.

Det är plan för 20 miljarder som ska skrotas?
– Så kan man säga om man vill. Men vad vi har att göra är att på mest ekonomiskt sätt leva upp till de krav som är ställda på oss av riksdag och regering. De har en gång beslutat om 12 divisioner, nu ska vi ha fyra, säger Mats Nilsson.

ÖB anger också att Jasplanen kan bli en ”exportresurs”, det vill säga att de möjligen kan byggas om för utländska kunder.

– Detta är en idé och en handlingsplan som försvarsmakten tagit fram. Vi vill nu sätta oss i diskussioner med industrin för att få ett avtal. Vi har fortfarande C/D-plan under leverans och det här måste stämma med framtida exportkunder, säger Mats Nilsson.

http://www.svd.se/dynamiskt/inrikes/did_12478653.asp

Hindistan'ın Yeni Savaş Uçağı İhalesi

126 uçağı kapsayan ihale ile ilgili DefenseNews'da 6 Haziran'da yayınlanan makale... 9 milyar dolarlık projenin sebebinin LCA projesindeki gecikmeler ve hava kuvvetleri stratejilerindeki değişimler olduğu belirtilmiş. Orijinalde tüm hava kuvvetlerini Su-30 ve LCA ile donatma planı, bu sebeplerle değiştirilmiş...

Makalede yer alan Hint Hava Kuvvetleri komutanı Pal Tyagi'nin ifadesine göre Hindistan ağır, orta ve hafif olmak üzere üç türde savaş uçağına sahip olmayı hedefliyor. Su-30, Mirage-2000, LCA ve ihalesi yapılan MRCA bu planın sacayakları...

İlginç bir sürpriz yaparak bu ihalede boy gösteren F-16'nın seçimi ise, bölgede yeni jeopolitik ilişkilerin ve dengelerin kurulduğunun göstergesi olabilir..


India Plans To Buy 126 Medium-Range Fighters

By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

Instead of depending entirely on the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) to upgrade its aging fighter fleet, the Indian Air Force is pressing ahead with plans to supplement its indigenous jet with 126 new medium-range combat jets under a program valued at some $9 billion.

Senior leaders want a mix of LCAs and new medium-range planes to complement heavy aircraft like the Su-30MKI built by Russia’s Sukhoi, now being produced under license in India.

Originally, the Indian Air Force wanted a force composed entirely of LCAs and Su-30s. But delays in LCA production and change in Air Force strategy are driving the service toward a medium-range aircraft as well.

The medium-range program is now the Air Force’s top acquisition target to fulfill its goal of a mixed fleet of multirole combat aircraft.

Guided by Staff Qualitative Requirements (SQR) the service issued in 2000, the Defence Ministry announced in December that it was asking leading aircraft makers to submit technical information for the purchase of the 126 medium-range, multirole combat aircraft.

The 126-aircraft purchase is necessary, said Air Chief Marshal Shashindra Pal Tyagi, because “the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft [LCA] is still under development and is likely to be available for induction only by 2008 to 2010. Further, the LCA is a 10-ton class of aircraft, and as is evident from the name, it is a light combat aircraft. On the other hand, the 126 MRCAs [multirole combat aircraft] are required in the medium-weight category [20-ton class], and their procurement should not be compared with the LCA procurement.”

He added, “In the long run, we intend having a force structure for the IAF that is a mix of light, medium and heavy combat aircraft. The LCA falls in the light category, Su-30s in the heavy category, and the 126 MRCAs in the medium category. Hence, we are looking for a single type of aircraft capable of undertaking multiple roles in the medium category.”

So far, requests for information have been sent to France’s Dassault for the Mirage 2000-5, America’s Lockheed Martin for the F-16, Russia’s RAC MiG for the MiG-29 SMT, and Sweden’s Saab for the JAS-39 Gripen.

Currently, the Air Force has a limited number of multirole aircraft, including the Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000-H and MiG-29 aircraft. Most of the service’s combat fleet is composed of MiG jets, which are primarily used for point defense and therefore limited in their ability to destroy targets on low-flying missions.

The Air Force also has British-made Jaguar aircraft, but they are equipped solely for ground-attack missions.

The MiG series and the Jaguars were bought to counter the low-flying aircraft from Pakistan.

A senior Defence Ministry official said India will forge a new geopolitical alliance while finalizing the contract for 126 multirole combat aircraft.

He said an American defense firm has been invited to compete for the first time, and if India chooses the F-16 aircraft, the decision would be shaped by political considerations.

The Defence Ministry hopes to sign a contract within three years after issuing the formal limited global tender, expected before the end of this year. Once the companies submit their technical specifications in response to the Air Force’s request for information, service officials will prepare their global tender.

A draft paper is being prepared to finalize an offset clause for the program, said an official in the Defence Ministry’s Department of Defence Production. The Defence Ministry also is likely to include a clause under which the supplier will be asked to buy back spare parts and other related support systems up to the value of 20 percent of the entire contract, he added.

The draft paper also will demand complete technology transfer of all crucial subsystems, including engine, avionics, fly-by-wire systems, electronic warfare suites, communication systems and the source code of the aircraft.

The Air Force is expected to release funding for licensed production of the aircraft to allow Hindustan Aeronautics to create manufacturing facilities, the second Defence Ministry official said.

The defense production official refused to assess whether the ministry can finalize the contract within three years after floating a limited global tender.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=873246&C=mideast