| By Neelam Mathews |
 Gripen is denying a news report in a local daily claiming the company will be left out of field trials for India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition because it didn’t make the grade with the Indian Air Force’s Technical Evaluation Committee. The technical report is said to have been submitted to the Indian ministry of defense in mid-November of last year. It now has to be approved by the ministry before the field trials can begin. Eddy de la Motte, director of Gripen International in India, told Aerospace DAILY, “Whether any of the competitors has failed to meet the cut for field evaluation or not is a question that should be put to the Indian Air Force. We firmly believe the report does not have any basis and the news is incorrect. “Gripen meets or exceeds every operational requirement raised by the IAF in all roles — air-to-air fighter, [beyond visual range/within visual range], air-to-surface land and sea, and reconnaissance,” de la Motte added. The six contenders for the 126-aircraft program also include Boeing’s F/A-18E/F, Lockheed Martin F-16, EADS Eurofighter, Dassault Aviation’s Rafale and the Russian Aircraft Corporation’s (RAC) MiG-35. “It defeats the purpose for the air force not to experience all the six aircraft,” one senior official said. “We have nothing to lose to check them all out.” This substantiates another source that tells Aerospace DAILY that all six contenders are scheduled to participate in hot/cold trials beginning in April. There has been speculation that with India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft slated to enter production in 2012, the Gripen acquisition may become extraneous. However, Gripen says it is not competing with the LCA. “In fact, the LCA program could benefit immensely from this array of technology, which Saab is happy to transfer,” de la Motte said. The Gripen IN is a medium-weight multi-role fighter aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight 16.5 ton. The company says it is on schedule for delivery ahead of the other aircraft in contention for the MMRCA program. Gripen has indicated that a “wide range of state-of-the-art weapons can be sourced from manufacturers worldwide, giving the Indian Air Force freedom of choice by avoiding sole source supply constraints.” Photo: Gripen source: www.aviationweek.com |
