TEHRAN, April 07 - India is seeking to buy around 110 fighter jets, the air force said in a request for information issued on Friday, marking the first step toward a long-delayed deal that could be worth more than $15 billion.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Saab, and Dassault Aviation are among the manufacturers expected to compete.
The aircraft must be built largely in India as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s drive to build a domestic industrial base.
The air force said in a notice that “85 percent will have to be made in India by a Strategic Partner/Indian Production Agency.”
Lockheed has offered to move its F-16 production line in Fort Worth, Texas, to India and make it the only plant worldwide to produce the F-16 for not only India but also other countries, said Vivek Lall, vice president for strategy and business development at Lockheed Martin.
Lockheed has teamed with India’s Tata Advanced Systems to build the planes locally while Sweden’s Saab has entered into a partnership with the Adani Group, a resources conglomerate. The other contenders have not announced their local partners.
The tender will be open for makers of both single-engine and twin-engine combat jets, in a widening of the field. The Eurofighter Typhoon and Russian aircraft are also potential contenders under the new requirements.
Source: Press TV, Reuters
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