Rafale Partners with Reliance

Dassault Aviation has selected Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) as its private sector partner to manufacture the Rafale Combat jets in ndia.   Details are not known but Dassault confirmed the agreement with the Mumbai-based Mukesh Ambani-led Indian conglomerate. It was signed a week or so after the Government announced the Rafale as the winner in the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) friday Jan 31.  n a statement, the French company said: Dassault Aviation, a major player in the global aerospace industry has entered into an MoU with Reliance Industries Ltd., India’s largest private sector company, for pursuing in strategic opportunities of collaboration in the area of complex manufacturing and support in India.                                               

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India shortlists Rafale, Eurofighter for jet deal

NEW DELHI — India has shortlisted Dassault's Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon for a $12 billion dollar fighter jet deal, cutting out US giants Boeing and Lockheed, sources said Thursday.

"Only France's Dassault and Eurofighter have been requested to extend their commercial bids," a defence ministry official, who declined to be named, told AFP.

One of the most valuable and sought-after military contracts of recent years, the deal for 126 fighters has witnessed fierce competition between defence majors like Boeing and Lockheed Martin, Sweden's Saab AB and the Russian makers of the MiG 35.It was also the object of intense lobbying during a series of high-profile visits to India last year by US President Barack Obama, French President Nicholas Sarkozy and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.Reports that a final shortlist had been drawn up were borne out by a statement Wednesday from Saab AB that its JAS-39 Gripen fighter had fallen out of contention."Gripen has not been shortlisted for the Indian Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) programme," the statement said.The Indian defense ministry refused immediately to confirm that the US and Russian bids had also been dismissed.A statement from Lockheed Martin said only that it had been informed by the US government of a "letter from the Indian ministry of defense concerning the MMRCA competition".It gave no details of the letter's contents."We understand that the US government is working on a response," the statement said.The Eurofighter is made by the four-nation European Aeronautic Defence & Space consortium, representing Germany and Spain, Britain's BAE Systems and Italy's Finmeccanica.The long-delayed contract includes the outright purchase of 18 combat aircraft by 2012 with another 108 to be built in India.India, the biggest importer of military hardware among emerging nations, issued the request for proposals to the six firms in 2007 and trials of the aircraft competing for the deal began a year later.

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Mig-35 offered to India matches all requirements: Russia

Press Trust Of India
Moscow, July 26, 201


Russia on Monday said that its new Mig-35 fighter had passed Indian Air Forces three evaluation tests and matched all requirements listed by New Delhi in the $10 billion tender for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA). "The requirements of the tender are quite rigid, but we have already held three valuation tests, and we believe we have offered an aircraft which entirely corresponds to the tender requirements," a senior official of the Rosoboronexport State Corporation Sergei Kornyev said.

His comments come as India is believed to be in the process of shortlisting the bidders.

Major aircraft manufacturers including the French Dassault Aviation with its Rafale jet fighter, US Lockheed Martin with its F-16 Falcon and Boeing with F-18 Super Hornet, the Swedish Saab with its most up-to-date Gripen fighter and Eurofighter are in the fray along with MiG-35 Fulcrum-F.

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