IAF soon to finalise combat aircraft deal

"We are in the last lap of Medium-Multirole combat aircraft project. We should be able to open the commercial bids in ten days from now," Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne said in his address at the Air Force Day parade here. The Defence Ministry had on Friday cleared the way for opening the commercial bids of Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon by approving their offset proposals.

After the bids are opened, the Defence Ministry will be able to determine the lowest bidder in the deal and decide who will ultimately get the contract described as the `mother of all deals`. Defence Ministry officials had said that all the spade work for the opening of bids was over and the bids will be opened in the presence of the two vendors. Eurofighter and Rafale were shortlisted for the tender after four companies including American Lockheed Martin and Boeing, Russian MiG 35 and Swedish Saab Gripen were ousted from the race in April.

Speaking on other important IAF modernisation programmes, the IAF Chief said, "The C-130J Hercules and the Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) have been inducted and operationalised in good time".