Indian Air Force likely to award Rs 8000 crore deal to Israeli state-owned firm
The Indian Air Force operates a fleet of six Russian-origin Il-78 aerial refueling aircraft based in Agra and these aircraft provide support to all types of fighter operations of the Indian Air Force and Navy.
IAI emerged as the only vendor to come forward with a competitive bid.
The Indian Air Force, which has long been planning to add new aircraft with aerial refueling, is likely to strike a deal worth around Rs 8,000 billion to buy six air tanker aircraft from an Israeli government-owned firm that has emerged as a sole vendor. If it wins the tender, Israeli company Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) will convert six old and second-hand Boeing 767 commercial aircraft into tanker aircraft and then supply them to the Indian Air Force, defense sources told ANI.
They said IAI emerged as the only vendor to come forward in a competitive bid in which it accepted the need for around 30 per cent Made in India content through offsets included in the deal. The competition, which was launched a few years ago, also saw participation from Russian and European companies, but IAI was the only firm left in the race as others did not meet the requirements, including 3-30 percent domestic content in second-hand aircraft.
The Indian Air Force operates a fleet of six Russian-origin Il-78 aerial refueling aircraft based in Agra and these aircraft provide support to all types of fighter operations of the Indian Air Force and Navy. The Indian Air Force has made many attempts over the last 15 years to purchase six more refueling aircraft but failed to do so due to many reasons. It also recently wet-leased a tanker aircraft, but will need more aircraft to meet its growing needs. The Indian Air Force is in the process of phasing out its older aircraft and its new fleet can fly for longer hours with mid-air refueling.
(Except for the title, this news has not been edited by the DNA team and is published from ANI news agency).
