IAF begins flight evaluation of MMRCA aircraft

Bangalore: The Indian Air Force today launched the flight evaluation and performance trials of combat aircraft from six foreign defence firms in its bid to zero in on the final pick for acquisition of 126 Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA).
The acquisition cost estimated at USD 10 billion is the biggest ever defence buy by the Indian armed forces.
First to begin was the Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornets that zoomed across the skies over the city and its surrounding areas. IAF's test pilots along with the US companies pilots flew the latest war machine after it took of majestically from the Hindustan Aerospace Ltd airport in the city.
After the tests in the city, IAF plans to test the fighter jets in cold and hot conditions over Leh in J&K and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, respectively.
The other five contenders include Gripen, Lockheed Martin's F-16 Super Viper, Eurofighter's Typhoon, Russian United Aircraft's MiG35 and France's Dassault Aviation's Rafale.
18/08/09 Sahil Online

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Categories: Foreign Aug 2009