The Hindu : National : No specific request placed for F-16 or F-18: IAF

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Wednesday, May 04, 2005

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No specific request placed for F-16 or F-18: IAF

SHILLONG: The Indian Air Force has not placed any specific request for F-16 or F-18 aircraft with any foreign firm although the U.S. Government cleared two manufacturers' names to negotiate for the purchase, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi said here on Monday.

``The USA Government had written to the Indian Government a month ago, clearing the names of two firms — Lockheed for F-16s and Boeing for F-18s — to negotiate. But we have not sent any Request for Proposal (RFP) to purchase,'' he said.

Elaborating, the Chief of Air Staff said the IAF had approached the Central Government three years ago with its `qualitative requirements' to buy F-16s and the then the NDA regime had cleared the purchase of 126 `multi-role combat aircraft of medium variety' for the force.

After that a Request for Information (RFI) was sent to four firms — each one in the U.S., France, Sweden and Russia — to seek more details with broad parameters of the IAF. But no RFP had been sent to any firm so far, he clarified. — PTI

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