For all the talk about the IAF looking to purchase 126 fighters which Washington is keen to sell, it is the Indian Navy that is on track for an agreement that would for the first time make New Delhi a scientific and financial partner in a futuristic American aviation project.First reported by The Indian Express six months ago, the Navy is interested in the Boeing-led project, which is building the P-8A Maritime Multimission Aircraft (MMA), a long range, anti-vessel capable jet that will be ready by 2013. India also wants to be a technology partner who will contribute qualitatively to how the MMA shapes up over the next seven years, so that when the aircraft rolls out in 2013, it can be readily inducted into the Navy.Boeing’s Vice-President Chris Chadwick, who was recently here for discussions with the IAF on the F/A-18 Super Hornet, also held a short-notice meeting on November 30 with Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash where the latter was given a first-level of detail presentation on the MMA project.Speaking to The Indian Express after the meeting, Chadwick said, ‘‘There is deep interest in the Navy on the MMA programme. Boeing is already in discussion with the US Department of Defense on the subject, and our impression is that they are leaning towards a positive reply.’’ The Navy, which has dearth of long-range airborne maritime surveillance capabilities, is currently making do with an ageing fleet of Russian Tupolev-142s and German Dornier-228s.Incidentally, the MMA, when ready will progressively replace the US Navy’s large fleet of P-3 Orions. This is principally why the Indian Navy sees sense in using the P-3 and then moving on to the P-8A in the next decade, though the Orion’s cost factor continues to be a consideration. And to jack up its options the Navy will shortly float a global tender for maritime surveillance aircraft.Russia offers strategic bombers to IndiaRussia has offered to sell several long-range Tupolev TU-22M3 Bombers to India, Russian vice premier and Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said today. He said the offer was made to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during talks in Moscow yesterday but India has not yet responded. The leasing of up to three long-range TU-22M3(Backfire-C) bombers was part of the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov package. The bomber capable of carrying 3 kh-22 cruise missiles is the main bomber of the Russian Air force and navy. —PTI
