EXCLUSIVE!Shortlist of MMRCA to be announced in early April

BREAKING

1:06pm

March 4, 2011

Neelam Mathews

NEW DELHI- The shortlist for the six contenders of India’s 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft is to be announced in the first week of April, Aerospace Diary learns.

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal P V Naik had declared at Aero India on Feb 10 that he was optimistic price negotiations would start within a few weeks and the deal would be signed by September, “provided dissatisfied vendors do not put a spoke in the wheel and delay proceedings.”

Aerospace Diary learns that  two –perhaps three- vendors will be asked to submit their offset proposals in six months. The MoD will now negotiate offsets only with the down-selected companies.

Recently, the ministry of defense had asked all MMRCA vendors to hold back on presenting their offset proposals.

According to the DPP, the offsets proposals do not determine the main decision of the contract as long as they are compliant.

It is most likely that Eurofighter and Rafael are the chosen two. It is not clear if a decision has been made on the third down select vendor. A buzz in the MoD says it could be Boeing F/A/18.