BAE vies for Indian jet fighter contract
BAE Systems is in the running to supply India with over 130 fighter jets, in a deal which could win the company over £10bn.
If India buys the controversial Eurofighter Typhoon plane, which is built by a four-nation consortium including the UK’s BAE, it will be one of the largest international arms deals in the past decade.
The competition for India’s investment starts next month, when six fighter jets take part in a fly-off.
The models being assessed are Eurofighter, Boeing’s F/A-18, Lockheed Martin’s F-16, France’s Rafale, Russia’s MiG-35 and Sweden’s Gripen.
BAE has good ties with India. It has a collaboration with one of the country’s largest defence groups Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), meaning it now makes the Hawk trainer jet for BAE. The Hawk is also used by the Indian air force.
The Eurofighter has been under fire, as politicians and industry insiders call for the project’s wings to be clipped.
Earlier this month, BAE rolled out the first Eurofighter manufactured as part of a controversial deal with Saudi Arabia. The inter-government deal means 72 of the aircraft will eventually be delivered to the Middle Eastern kingdom.
The deal dates back to the controversial Al-Yamamah arms deal agreed in the 1980’s by ex-prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
The aircraft will be used by the Saudi airforce.
The news that BAE is vying for a contract in India comes after the biennial Paris air show last week.