Air Force MRCA Update: French Diplomat Bats for Dassault Rafale; Wants Fair Competition
Dated 18/1/2009
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Eyeing the mega deal for 126 multi-role combat aircraft with India, France today said it expected "fair competition" and equal treatment by New Delhi to all the bidders in the selection process.
France, whose Rafale fighter plane is a competitor for the mega deal, is keeping its fingers crossed as it recently lost a contract for 197 military helicopters, due to "severity of rules" in India.
"We are participating in a competition ... We know there is competition and we know in India, competition is to be taken by the word," French President Nicolas Sarkozy's Diplomatic Adviser Jean-David Levitte told reporters in New Delhi.
Noting that Indian rules are strict, he said, "We were victims of the severity of these rules (in helicopter deal) last year. But we accept the rules provided all competitors are treated in same way. It is fair competition that we want," he said. He claimed Rafale fighters are the best next generation planes and it would bag the deal if the competition is fair.
Developed by French major Dassault, Rafale is a twin-engined multi-role fighter aircraft and is being produced both for land-based and ship-based operations. The aircraft was last year inducted for operations over Afghanistan by France. Rafale is competing with American F/A-18 and F-16, Russian MiG-35 and Swedish Gripen for the over USD 10 billion 126 aircraft contract.
