India to Float 2nd Buy for Jet Trainers?

[ejaz007]

India to Float 2nd Buy for Jet Trainers?
18-Mar-2009 13:43 EDT


The induction of advanced jet trainers into India’s Air Force has been a long and difficult process. After a nuumber of false starts, and indigenous efforts like HAL’s Ajeet that didn’t quite live up to expectations, a 20-year procurement process came to an end when India selected BAE’s Hawk 115Y as its future advanced jet trainer in 2004. The 66-plane order included options for another 40.

The Press Trust of India reports that India’s Air Force has elected not to pick up that option. That is not an unusual occurrence. What is unusual, is a follow-on competition thrown open to international competitors, in a February 2009 RFP. The RFP was reportedly sent to the Czech Republic’s Aero Vodochody (L-159), Italy’s Alenia (M-346), BAE (Hawk, but it would be a more advanced variant), Korea’s KAI (T-50s), and Russia (YAK-130 variant of the M346 joint project, or MiG AT).

The move was reportedly triggered by supply delays to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which is supposed to assemble a number of the Hawks in India.

India to Float 2nd Buy for Jet Trainers?

 

[messenger]

this is ridiculous . they had already wasted so much time on this deal and now it has fallen apart .

 

[Lockheed F-16]

Well, India should look out. It is developing kind of habit to develop something and in the end, buy it anyway. They should now try to decide, if they really want to develop theirselves or only buy from Israel or elsewhere.

 

[ejaz007]

Indian Air Force Issues Request For Proposals for Advanced Jet Trainers; BAE Hawks Dumped
Dated 21/3/2009


Upset over problems relating to spares supply for British 'Hawks' Advanced Jet Trainers (AJTs), India has shelved plans to place follow-on orders for the aircraft and instead floated new tenders to supplement its trainer fleet.

Indian Air Force (IAF) sources said here today that the new tenders -- Request for Proposals (RFP) in Defence parlance -- were issued about a month ago to six global aircraft manufacturers.

Surprisingly, United Kingdom-based Hawks manufacturer BAE Systems finds a place among the six companies which had received the fresh tenders. But it was being approached for an upgraded version of the AJTs, sources said.

Others trainers that the IAF has shown interest in and sent the tender papers to were Italy's Alenia for the M-346, Korean T-50s, the Chez L-159, Russian YAK-130 and MiG AT Trainer, sources said.

After a procurement process that lasted nearly 20 years, India finally entered a contract for the delivery of 66 Hawks trainers with BAE in 2004. The contract had an in-built provision for a follow-on order for 40 more aircraft.

But the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had been finding it difficult to maintain the production lines for the aircraft at its facility due to considerable delays in spares supplies, sources said.

The move of the IAF to go in for a new brand of trainer aircraft came as a surprise, as it had originally planned to have a single type of trainers in the fleet to train future fighter pilots.


Indian Air Force Issues Request For Proposals for Advanced Jet Trainers; BAE Hawks Dumped | India Defence