France offers India 36 Rafale fighters for IAF at the same rate as its own air force

France is offering India 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition at the same price which it pays to French defence major Dassault Aviation to equip its own air force, defence sources said.They added that the final pricing will depend on the specific requirements that India seeks from France and how the negotiation goes forward.

The said offer is in keeping with the joint statement issued during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to France where he announced the intention to buy 36 Rafales off the shelf.

“The two leaders (Modi, French President Fracois Hollande) agreed to conclude an inter-governmental agreement for supply of the aircraft on terms that would be better than what is conveyed by Dassault Aviation as part of a separate process underway,” the statement had said.

The “separate process” was the MMRCA tender which had been stuck for years over pricing and other issues.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had met with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday following which the two sides decided to form special teams that will work in a time-bound manner to conclude negotiations. Defence sources said the teams will work out the finer details of the deal, including the pricing.

They also questioned the possibility whether the deal may have an offset clause, saying it would be difficult if the pricing for Indian aircraft remains the same as that for the French air force.

As per industry experts, the price of a Rafale to French air force works out to anywhere between $200-220 million.

“If we take the lowest value of $200 million, it will work out to around Rs 1,240 crore per aircraft. Even if we increase it to Rs 1,300 crore, it would be a better price than earlier,” sources said.

The price per aircraft not only includes its own cost but also that for maintenance, training of pilots and technicians, armaments and spares.

Qatar has recently signed a deal worth over $7 billion for 24 Rafale jets. This includes MBDA missiles and the cost for the training of 36 Qatari pilots and 100 technicians. The value of each aircraft thus comes to over $290 million.

Asked if that price would be acceptable to India, the sources said it would have been “very expensive”.

Modi has said that the aircraft and associated systems and weapons would be delivered on the same configuration as had been tested and approved by Indian Air Force, and with a longer maintenance responsibility by France.

Angola To Receive Ex IAF Sukhoi Combat Aircraft

Angola is set to be become the third operator of the Sukhoi Su-30 series twin-seat fighter jets in Africa, following Algeria and Uganda. Six former Indian air force Su-30K (mod) aircraft are due for delivery in the second half of this year. Originally destined for the Belarus air force, they have undergone a major overhaul and repair program at the Aircraft Repair Plant no. 558 in Baranovichi, Belarus, arranged by Sukhoi. This repair plant is seeking business from other Su-30 operators and was an exhibitor at the recent LIMA airshow in Malaysia, which received 18 Su-30MKMs.

The African continent is considered a potentially big market for the big Sukhoi jetfighters, mostly used ones, which are going to be withdrawn from service in other parts of the world and thus become available cheaply. Few potential customers in the region can afford brand-new airplanes of that size and complexity, but the vast expanse of the continent and ambitions of some local leaders generate an interest. Irkut hopes that the Angolan Su-30K (mod.) will serve as a good example of how used Su-27/30 series aircraft can get a new lease on life through cost-effective modernization.

Back in the days of war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, a handful of Su-27 single-seat fighters took part in combat operations; these were bought on the secondary market and flown largely by foreign pilots. Then Uganda received six Su-30MK2s new from the Komsomolsk-on-Amur factory in 2011. Oil-rich Algeria operates more than 40 Su-30MKA multirole fighters, delivered new from Irkut in two batches. The latter “A” in the suffix refers to customized Algerian version, which is broadly similar to Indian air force’s Su-30MKI.

Angola signed for its 12 (some sources say 18) ex-Indian Su-30K (mod.) aircraft in October 2013, part of a larger, $1 billion (U.S.) deal with Russia. Being a poor country, Angola can afford to pay only in small quantities over time, hence the slow execution of the contract. Under a 1996 contract, India bought a quantity of Su-30Ks from Russia, with shipments from the Irkutsk factory taking place from 1997 to 1999. The Indian air force operated them till the middle of 2011. Meanwhile, a major deal was struck between Moscow and New Delhi for the Su-30MKI; a total of 274 such aircraft were eventually delivered from Russia or assembled locally at HAL’s Nasik facility. India returned all of the earlier Su-30Ks to the manufacturer with their residual value deducted from the bill for newly produced Su-30MKIs.

The Indian air force flew its Su-30Ks extensively, especially after the news came of their return to the manufacturer. Airframes going back to Russia had between 1,000 and 1,500 flying hours, with some showing signs of overstress after extensive flying with high g-loads.

Having inspected these aircraft, the manufacturer arranged the overhaul deal with Belarus. In addition to beefing up the airframe to ensure a meaningful residual lifetime, the Irkut-controlled Russian Avionics company added some“technical insertions” from the Su-30KN and developed other “added value” programs for the ex-Indian aircraft.These include replacement of some analog instruments with MFI-68 multifunction 6- by 8-inch displays. The airplane’s targeting capability is improved by an additional module in the N-001 radar, referred to as the bypass channel. This add-on has its own data-processing capability through the use of a modern onboard computer belonging to the Baget series. It allows for introduction of additional working modes, including simultaneous firing at two airborne targets with guided missiles; digital mapping; and “ground surface observation” modes. The Su-30K (mod.) can also carry an expanded range of air-to-air and air-to-surface guided munitions, turning an air superiority fighter into a multirole aircraft.


                                                              SOURCE : http://idrw.org/