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The flight trials for India’s medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) for which six competing aircraft, namely; the F-16 Super Viper, the F-18 Super Hornet, the MiG 35, the JAS 39 Gripen, the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Rafale have been initiated and the selection process would take eight months.
Two Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters have arrived in Bangalore for flight trials by the Indian Air Force (IAF) last weekend.
However, there has been a wave of contradictions on the part of the Indian Ministry of Defence because specified capability at an economic price, which was the original dictum of the MMRCA tender, is now being ignored and it seems an added punch in the performance of the fighter plane may emerge as the winner.
The Indian Ministry of Defence and the Indian Air Force (IAF) are allegedly indicating to vendors like EADS that the performance of its aircraft in the trials may help them gain the MMRCA deal besides meeting the tender requirements.
Sources indicated that Bernhard Gerwert, CEO Military Air Systems for EADS, visited New Delhi recently to assess whether it was worth spending millions of dollars to put the Eurofighter through flight trials in India.
If Eurofighter’s superlative performance, superior in several respects than the Indian tender requirements, would win no extra credit, then EADS would not make the effort to participate.
Sources added that the Indian Defence Ministry has convinced EADS that the superior performance of each aircraft will be taken into account.
As for the IAF, it has failed to clear the fog on this new change in criterion.
The IAF states that there will be no comparison of the aircraft and a “Compliance Matrix” has been worked out. Each fighter’s performance will need to comply with what the IAF has demanded in the tender with no extra points for extra capability.
If more than one aircraft qualifies, then the cheapest bid shall win and the Indian Defence Ministry will be evaluating costs on a “Life Cycle” basis.
That includes all the costs over a 30-40 year life-cycle, adding the per unit purchase price to the costs of technology, indigenous manufacture, infrastructure, repair and maintenance, operating expenses, and a host of other hidden costs.
The IAF calls it “Cost of Ownership” and this method of calculation is being adopted for the first time by India for a capital equipment purchase from abroad.
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