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22:30 27.11.2017(updated 22:13 27.11.2017)
Any new fighter jet procurement deal by
Indian Air Force would require the foreign vendor to set up a production line
in India – a time taking process. In this backdrop, HAL’s claim that it can
immediately start co-producing the FGFA with Russia from existing facility
holds immense significance.
New Delhi (Sputnik) — India's state-owned defense
aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has said that it
would not take long for the Indo-Russia joint venture to roll
out the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) should the Indian
government decide to go ahead with the project anytime soon. HAL has
said that the existing state-of-the-art production facility in the Indian
town of Nasik that is currently being used to assemble and
manufacture Indian Air Force's frontline fighter aircraft Su-30MKI can be used
to start manufacturing the FGFA so that the aircraft are delivered
in a timely manner to the intended buyers.
"Definitely, it (Nasik plant) can be
used for the FGFA. It will need a little bit of augmentation. We will
not need major investment," T Suvarna Raju, the chairman and managing
director of HAL, told PTI.
Raju hopes India's Ministry of Defense would soon
sanction the project while claiming that the first aircraft would be ready
in three years from the date of approval as there would be
much in common including structural similarities between the FGFA and
the Sukhoi 30MKI jet.
The Indo-Russia FGFA project was initiated in 2007
when both countries signed an intergovernmental pact. The two sides completed
the preliminary design in 2013. India has spent $240 million to date
towards the project, which in India is called the "Perspective
Multirole Fighter."
However, delays were caused with New Delhi and
Moscow disagreeing over many fundamental aspects of the joint
development project, including work and cost share, aircraft technology,
as well as the number of aircraft to be ordered.
"I will not comment on the
justification on expenditure on the project. But, as a country,
if we are looking for fifth-generation technology and if somebody has
offered it to us, then definitely I would like to go for it
regardless of the expenditure," Raju said.
Indian Air Chief BS Dhanoa had said in October this year
that the Varthaman committee — A high-powered panel appointed by India's
defense ministry to examine different aspects of the multi-billion dollar FGFA
project has already submitted its recommendations and that the final go-ahead
should come from the government.
Original post: sputniknews.com
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