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Journalism of Courage
With the 10 billion race to provide 126 fighter aircraft to India gaining pace, global manufacturers get jittery even over minor comments made about their equipment by IAF officers. At a recent international seminar, a top officer innocuously made a statement that Russian-made jets are the most expensive to maintain, pointing out that maintenance costs in the first five years add up to 25 per cent of the original cost price. The officer also rated British jets as the cheapest in terms of upkeep. This led to a frenzy among the six competitors for the contract, who immediately activated their 8220;networks8221; to unravel the 8220;hidden message8221; behind the statement.
