Indian Air Force to hold limited trials of
American F-16, Swedish Saab Gripen fighter aircraft
The Indian Air Force is set to hold limited
trials of two foreign fighter jets in order to a select a foreign partner for a
120-combat plane Make in India project.
Ajit Kumar Dubey | Posted by Dev Goswami
New Delhi, June 12, 2017 | UPDATED 10:30 IST
HIGHLIGHTS
- 120
combat planes to be made under Make in India project.
- Rs
1.3 lakh cr estimated total worth of the deal.
- 123
LCA combat jets planned to be inducted by IAF.
The Indian Air Force will hold limited trials
of the American F-16 and Swedish Saab Gripen fighter aircraft for selecting the
foreign partner to build 120 combat planes under the Make in India project.
The total worth of the deal is estimated to
be around $20 billion (Rs 1.3 lakh crore).
IAF sources said the two planes had undergone
extensive trials seven years ago when the IAF was evaluating aircraft for
buying 126 mediummultirole combat aircraft (M-MRCA).
"We have chosen the two planes based on
evaluation done by us seven years ago. For the Make in India project, we will
now hold trials of only those capabilities which they were found to be lacking
in these aircraft in those days," an IAF officer told Mail Today.
Sources said during the M-MRCA trials, the
F-16 was not selected as it was found that there was no potential for
developing the aircraft further while the Saab Gripen did not have advanced
radar called AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array), which was mandatory
requirement in that project.
TESTING NEW CAPABILITIES
IAF sources said both the firms have informed
the air force that they would be fully compliant to the requirements now as the
American firm has come up with a latest version of the F-16 known as Block 70
while the Swedish firm has also acquired the advanced AESA radar.
"To test the new capabilities, there
would a limited trial only and we are hoping to select and finalise the foreign
partner within the next one year," the IAF sources said.
The 120 single-engine fighter jets would be
used by the IAF to replace its ageing fleet of the Russian MiG-series planes
including the MiG-21s and the MiG-27s which form the backbone of the Indian
fighter plane fleet.
REPLACING MiGs
Almost all the variants of the MiG-21s and
MiG-27s would retire by the year 2025 and the IAF is hoping that their
replacements would be ready for induction into the service in form of the
indigenous Light Combat Aircraft and the 120 'Made in India' fighter planes.
The IAF has plans of inducting around 123 LCA
combat jets as the NDA government recently gave clearance to a Rs 50,000 crore
project to induct 83 planes and augment the rate of production of these planes
in the state-owned HAL in Bangalore.
Meanwhile, the Navy is testing the American
F-18 and the French Dassault for acquiring 57 twin-engine planes for its next
aircraft carrier Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC).
Asked about the need for acquiring
twin-engine fighter aircraft in the category of Rafale-36 which have been
contracted for the IAF, the sources said India would hold a separate
competition for those aircraft but only after the single engine fighter
aircraft competition is completed.
The IAF has 33 squadrons of fighter aircraft
in its inventory, which includes mainly single-engine planes like MiG 21s and
MiG 27s along with Su-30MKI, MiG 29 and Jaguar.
Original post: indiatoday.intoday.in
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