Van
April 12th, 2003, 12:19 PM
FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2003
Indian defence minister George Fernandes said, that a proposal of the IAF chief to acquire 130 multi-role fighters was being considered. Sources said that France, in particular, was pressing hard to sell its Mirage-2000-5 jets to India. The French defence minister, in fact, is visiting India soon to push deals like the almost-finalised "Scorpene" submarine deal.
"We are also developing the Light Combat Aircraft," Fernandes said. The time for procurement of AJTs is near... the defence ministry has cleared the proposal and sent it to the finance ministry," said Fernandes on Friday, after a function to inaugurate a polyclinic under the new national ex-servicemen contributory health scheme. The final decision on the AJTs - which the IAF has been desperately demanding for the last 20 years to help train rookie pilots to fly highly-demanding supersonic fighters like MiG-21s - will of course be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security. Sources said that the British Aerospace-manufactured 'Hawk' AJTs, shortlisted several years ago, were still the frontrunners in the lucrative deal worth over one billion pounds. The cheaper Czech-American "L-159B" jet trainers have also emerged as contenders after evaluation by the IAF last year.
Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, in turn, said there would "no delay" on his ministry's part for the AJT proposal. "The armed forces will not suffer from the lack of funds," he said.
TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=43083991)
Indian defence minister George Fernandes said, that a proposal of the IAF chief to acquire 130 multi-role fighters was being considered. Sources said that France, in particular, was pressing hard to sell its Mirage-2000-5 jets to India. The French defence minister, in fact, is visiting India soon to push deals like the almost-finalised "Scorpene" submarine deal.
"We are also developing the Light Combat Aircraft," Fernandes said. The time for procurement of AJTs is near... the defence ministry has cleared the proposal and sent it to the finance ministry," said Fernandes on Friday, after a function to inaugurate a polyclinic under the new national ex-servicemen contributory health scheme. The final decision on the AJTs - which the IAF has been desperately demanding for the last 20 years to help train rookie pilots to fly highly-demanding supersonic fighters like MiG-21s - will of course be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security. Sources said that the British Aerospace-manufactured 'Hawk' AJTs, shortlisted several years ago, were still the frontrunners in the lucrative deal worth over one billion pounds. The cheaper Czech-American "L-159B" jet trainers have also emerged as contenders after evaluation by the IAF last year.
Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, in turn, said there would "no delay" on his ministry's part for the AJT proposal. "The armed forces will not suffer from the lack of funds," he said.
TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=43083991)