Satara:The Indian Air Force will
complete flight test evaluation for the medium multi-role
combat aircraft (MMRCA) by April next year, Air Chief Marshal
Pradeep Naik said.
"We will complete flight test evaluation for these
aircraft by April...the report would then be sent to the
government," the Air Chief told a news agency.
The IAF has been holding trials for its USD 10-billion
Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft tenders in which US` Boeing
and Lockheed Martin, French D`Assault, Swedish SAAB, European
consortium EADS and Russian MiG are contenders.
"The evaluation report would be discussed by the
Cabinet Committee on Security, after which the process of
awarding contract would be initiated," he said.
"The aircraft would be in service by 2013," he added.
India is acquiring 126 medium multi-role combat
aircraft to make up for the decreasing fleet of fighter
aircraft squadrons as part of the rapid modernisation of the
Force to counter threat from the eastern and western fronts.
The Air Chief was here to attend the alumni meet of
the Defence Ministry-managed Sainik School over the weekend.
He belongs to the the first batch of cadets that passed out
from the school, which completes Golden Jubilee next year.
PTI
