Big-ticket defence purchase

To buy 9 offshore patrol vessels for Navy for Rs 1,084 cr.

Close on the heels of the US offer to sell F-16 or F-18 warplanes, the cabinet committee on security (CCS) today gave the green signal to the defence ministry to go on an aircraft acquisition spree.

The government has decided to buy 11 Dornier aircraft from Germany for Rs 726 crore and hold price negotiations for purchase of 12 French-made Mirage 2005 fighters from Qatar.

The CCS, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, also cleared the induction of nine offshore patrol vessels for the Navy, purchase of one C-303 submarine-fired torpedo decoy system (cost RS 355 crore) from Italy and upgradation of 14 aircraft carrier-based British-made Sea Harriers planes (Rs 476 crore).

The upgradation, which would involve replacement of radars, fitting these with latest air-to-air missiles from Israeli firm Raphael, combat manoeuvring flight recorder, and digital cockpit voice recorder, would be done by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters.

The cost and time revision of the intermediate jet trainers by HAL would include acquisition of new Al-51 engines from Russia, he said, adding the exercise would be completed in about nine years against nearly eight years planned earlier.

He said the CCS authorised the defence ministry to carry out price negotiations for 12 used Mirage 2005 warplanes from Qatar, which have 80 to 85 per cent of their operational life intact.

Apart from this, a sum of Rs 1,084 crore has been sanctioned to set up at least nine off shore petrol vessels and acquisition of at least 30 air to air missiles at a cost of Rs 642 crore.

Imagery interpretation teams will be shifted to divisional headquarters from the command head quarters at a cost of Rs 367 crore.

At the time when the US government informed India of the sale of F-16 fighter planes to Pakistan, the Indian government had admitted that it required to modernise its fleet, and acquire 126 fighter aircraft of various capacities.

While the US government had offered that India could access their commercial military companies which produced F-18 jets, the Indian government seems to have thrown in its lot with the Europeans.

The bill

9 offshore patrol vessels for Navy: Rs 1084 cr

11 Dornier aircraft from Germany: Rs 726 cr

30 air-to-air missiles: Rs 642 cr

Upgrade of 14 British Sea Harriers: Rs 476 cr

One C-303 submarine-fired torpedo decoy system from Italy: Rs 355 cr

12 French Mirage 2005 fighters from Qatar: Price negotiations on