France government / French firm's unsolicited offer of fighter jets to our Indian Air Force

The infamy of Indian red tape has gone global. Foreseeing a delay in the multi-billion dollar MRCA (multi-role combat aircraft) tender for the purchase of 126 fighters, one of the contenders for the contract has made an "unsolicited offer" of supplying 40 fighters to the Indian Air Force as a short-term measure to augment its dwindling combat fleet.
Dassault Aviation chief executive officer Charles Edelstenne, a member of the business delegation accompanying French President Nicholas Sarkozy, said: "We have some experience with Indian delays. Which is why Dassault has made the unsolicited offer.
We have dealt with India for over half a century." Dassault first made the offer last year.
Edelstenne reiterated that the aircraft were still very much on offer, should India be interested. India has purchased 60 Mirage 2000s from Dassault since 1982.
The French aviation major intends to pursue its cooperation with the IAF with the Rafale, which it describes as a new generation omnirole aircraft. Dassault has offered to upgrade three squadrons of Mirage 2000s.
Edelstenne said a decision from the Indian side was awaited. With a stake in India's burgeoning defence market, several big players around the world are keeping a track of India's growing military ties with the US.
So is Dassault, especially in the wake of the government clearing the decks for the purchase of six C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft for the Special Forces operations at an estimated cost of about Rs 4,000 crore. Edelstenne said, "We have supplied the IAF for over 50 years.
They are happy with our products. As for India's ties with the US, we have to wait and see if that can change India's independent policy.
" American biggies Boeing IDS with its F-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin's F-16 are also in the running for the IAF's $10 billion IAF tender, aside from MiG Corporation (MiG-35), Gripen International (Saab) and Eurofighter Typhoon (a consortium of British, German, Spanish and Italian companies). The Ministry of Defence had floated a global tender for 126 fighter aircraft worth some $10 billion (Rs 42,000 crore) last August.