New Delhi: The Indian Air Force, which has moved a proposal to acquire 97 more LCA Tejas Mk1A fighter aircraft, has its eyes set on 114 multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA) for which it sees three main contenders — Rafale, F-15EX and the Gripen — ThePrint has learnt.
Sources in the Indian Air Force (IAF) told ThePrint that the proposal for 97 more Tejas, over and above the 83 ordered, will have no bearing on the MRFA plans.
They said that the IAF is waiting for a signal from the government to move the file to the defence ministry.
Explaining what signal the IAF was waiting for, the sources said the deal will be a strategic one and will depend on who the Narendra Modi government wants to go ahead with.
They said there are three main contenders, with the front runner being the French Rafale fighter jets, 36 of which were inducted into the IAF under an emergency procurement in 2016.
Sources made it clear that one of the big factors that will come into play is how much of the aircraft will be manufactured in India.
The plan is that while a small number of planes will come in fly-away condition, the rest would be manufactured in India in a phased manner, just like the C-295 aircraft deal with Airbus.
Sources said due to the offset contract in the 2016 deal, under which the companies involved in the project had to invest 50 percent of the contract value back into India, Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation already has a head start since they are already manufacturing and sourcing from India.
Sources added that American manufacturer Boeing could be the other strategic partner.
Boeing had offered the F-15EX aircraft to the IAF in 2021.
The third option before the IAF is Gripen, which is a single engine aircraft, unlike the other two.
Besides the three that the IAF is actively considering, there are also the F21 of the Lockheed Martin and Eurofighter in the race.
“So we are waiting for a signal from the government to understand where we should go,” the source said.
Sources added that a decision will also have to be taken on the form that the contract for the MRFA will follow. A decision is yet to be taken on whether it will follow the C-295 route under which India signed a deal directly with European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.
While the sanctioned strength of the IAF is 42 squadrons of fighter jets, it stands at a mere 31 as of now, with many of them comprising aircraft that are flying beyond their normal life cycle and those which will be phased out in the next few years.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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