Three American fighters, one French, and one Swedish, are in the race for a planned Indian Air Force (IAF) acquisition deal for 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA), ThePrint has learnt.
The MRFA deal entails the procuring of 114 modern multi-role fighters by the IAF to develop and advance its squadron. Cumulatively, the deal is amongst the largest purchase plans for fighter aircraft, valued at nearly $20 billion.
While the deal has been under discussion since 2018, the details are being deliberated by the Union government again. ThePrint had earlier reported that the deal is likely to head towards a split, with the government inclined to place orders for fighters in at least two batches.
This would entail 18 bought off the shelf, while another 36 would be manufactured in India through a joint venture. The order for the remaining 60 more would then be placed with the joint venture.
Even though French fighter craft Rafale is the frontrunner to win the mega deal, since its already in use by the IAF, four others are also in contention — Boeing’s F-15EX and F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet, Saab’s JAS-39 Gripen and Lockheed Martin’s F-21.
Of these, the F 21 and Gripen are single-engine aircraft, while the rest are twin-engines.
While the single-engine fighters are cheaper, it is not known whether that will be a consideration for the IAF acquisition.
ThePrint looks at the features of the fighters under discussion.