Bangalore - India has received no U.S. offer to sell any fifth-generation aircraft, Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony said Feb. 9, rebutting reports that Washington had proffered the F-35 Lightning II.
Speaking to reporters after opening AeroIndia 2011 here, Antony said India is not going back on its commitment to help Russia develop a fifth-generation combat jet.
He said Moscow and New Delhi have resolved all of their differences on the project, which aims to produce an aircraft that can enter service with the Indian Air Force in 2017.
On the keenly contested $10 billion Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), Antony said the contract would be signed in the fiscal year that begins April 1. He said the rival aircraft are being evaluated, and a decision would be made on technical, not political, grounds.
Five of the contending aircraft flew to AeroIndia: Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, Dassault's Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin's F-16 and Saab's Gripen. The sixth contender, the MiG-35 built by Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG, did not.
Antony said the first version of India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), 15 years late after 26 years of development, would enter the Air Force in 2013. The LCA Mark II, powered by a higher-thrust General Electric engine, would be inducted in 2015.
The eighth edition of the biennial show, AeroIndia 2011 has drawn more than 42 foreign delegations. Organized by the Indian Defence Ministry and an industry lobbying agency, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the show will display aircraft, weapons, sponsors, and aerospace technologies and products from 675 exhibitors, including 380 from 29 foreign countries.
The United States has the largest foreign delegation with 250 members, followed by Germany with 35 and Italy with 10.
Speaking to reporters after opening AeroIndia 2011 here, Antony said India is not going back on its commitment to help Russia develop a fifth-generation combat jet.
He said Moscow and New Delhi have resolved all of their differences on the project, which aims to produce an aircraft that can enter service with the Indian Air Force in 2017.
On the keenly contested $10 billion Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), Antony said the contract would be signed in the fiscal year that begins April 1. He said the rival aircraft are being evaluated, and a decision would be made on technical, not political, grounds.
Five of the contending aircraft flew to AeroIndia: Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, Dassault's Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin's F-16 and Saab's Gripen. The sixth contender, the MiG-35 built by Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG, did not.
Antony said the first version of India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), 15 years late after 26 years of development, would enter the Air Force in 2013. The LCA Mark II, powered by a higher-thrust General Electric engine, would be inducted in 2015.
The eighth edition of the biennial show, AeroIndia 2011 has drawn more than 42 foreign delegations. Organized by the Indian Defence Ministry and an industry lobbying agency, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the show will display aircraft, weapons, sponsors, and aerospace technologies and products from 675 exhibitors, including 380 from 29 foreign countries.
The United States has the largest foreign delegation with 250 members, followed by Germany with 35 and Italy with 10.
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