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As India inches closer towards the procurement process of the 126 Medium Range Multiple Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) worth $10 billion, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has started demanding the six vendors to furnish the time-frame of the flight schedule for flight trials.
The next stage of the multi-billion MMRCA deal entails flight schedules for trials to be carried out in India and abroad. According to the Chief of the IAF, Air Chief Marshal Fali Major, the trials are expected by April this year and will take 8-10 months to complete. The test flights will be carried out by the Air Services Testing Establishment (ASTE) of the IAF and a crew of over 30 will be involved in the flight trial evaluation process besides crews from other countries to cross-check the trials.
The six bidders include Lockheed Martin with its F-16 aircraft, Boeing with the F/A-18 Super Hornet, Swedish SAAB with the Grippen, the Russian Aircraft Corporation (RAC) MiG with the MiG-35 aircraft, Dassault the Rafale aircraft and the European EADS with its Eurofighter.
According to IAF officials, the Field Evaluation Test will involve Flight Trials, Ground Tests and Technology Transfer assessment. The aircraft must be demonstrated in the air and on ground and a minimum of two flights will be undertaken to evaluate the parameters of the IAF. The Electronic Warfare System must also prove its ability in the air and on ground.
After the trials, the next stage of the procurement will be commercial bids which will happen almost six months after the reports of the trials have been submitted. The entire process will reach its fruition four years after the flight trials.
As per the Request for Proposal (2007) for MMRCA, IAF will buy 18 fighters off the shelf and the rest will be manufactured in India under transfer of technology. India’s state-owned Bangalore- based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been designated as the production agency which will coordinate and manufacture the license production of the aircraft. The new fighters are expected to have a lifeline of over 40 years or an actual flying time of 6,000 hours, whichever is earlier.
The MMRCA will be equipped with Beyond Visual Range missiles, air-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, medium range missiles, anti-radiation missiles and Precision Guided Munition. It will also have the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar.
For the first time under the new fighter RFP, the Government has incorporated the Life cycle cost calculation. The tender also stipulates guaranteed serviceability and adequate supply of spares throughout the lifetime of the aircraft.
While the MMRCA is slated for induction in 2014 as per the IAF, it seems uncertain that the induction will take place before 2017. A transition in the political arena can also disrupt and further delay the entire process.
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