MMRCA field trials to end Q2 2010
20 Nov 2009
Mumbai: Field trials of six competing fighter aircraft models for the Indian Air Force's $11 billion medium range multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) contract are likely to be completed by July 2010, Indian minister of state for defence MM Pallam Raju said Wednesday.
"They (the trials) are expected to get over sometime in June or July next year because testing has to be done across both the winter and summer seasons," Raju said. He was speaking on the sidelines of an industry conference.
Locked in earnest battle for the contract are two American companies, Lockheed Martin with its F-16IN Super Viper and Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the Russian Aircraft Corp's MiG-35, Saab's JAS-39 Gripen, Dassault's Rafale, as well as the Eurofighter Typhoon.
According to Boeing's Vivek Lall, vice president and India head for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, the F/A-18 recently completed the second phase of trials in India's Leh, Jaisalmer and Bangalore areas.
The third phase, which is the weapons testing stage, will start in the US in February.
Under the $11 billion tender, India will buy a minimum of 126 jets. The possibility of the order size being scaled up is not rule out entirely.