With all details finally worked out, the Defence Ministry will issue global tenders for the acquisition of 126 combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force at an estimated cost of Rs 42,000 crore this week. Request for Proposals (RFPs) will shortly be issued to six aircraft manufacturers who will get six months to respond and send in their technical and commercial bids. IAF’s largest ever global tender for replacement of the ageing MiG-21 fleet was cleared at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Committee (DAC) on June 29. While RFPs will be the first step of the acquisition process, it will take at least six more years before the first of the new fighters touch down on Indian soil. The fighters are likely to be in service for 40 years and vendors will be required to provide lifetime support performance-based warranties. Under the terms of purchase, the first 18 aircraft will be come in a fly away condition while the remaining 108 will be manufactured under Transfer of Technology (ToT) by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The contract will also give India the option of obtaining 60-70 more aircraft from the manufacturer on original terms. MoD sources confirmed that RPFs will be issued to the American F-16 (Block 60) and F/A 18 Super Hornet, the Swedish Gripen, the French Rafale, the Russian MiG-35 and European consortium’s Eurofighter Typhoon. The requirement for multi-role combat aircraft first arose in 2001 with the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project, designed to replace the MiG-21 fleet, running behind schedule by over 10 years.
