'No Comeback' on Rafale Decision, Says India

Doubtless tired of the sounds of strangled indignation still coming from former colonial power Britain, which is finding it hard to digest the Indian decision to buy the French-made Rafale rather than the U.K.-German-Spanish Typhoon, the Indian government today ruled out the possibility that there could be “any comeback” on the decision.

In a long article in The Times of India, a top defense ministry source says the entire Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) project cost would have gone up by around Rs 25,000 crore (Rs 1 crore = 10 million rupees, but that in India would be written 1,00,00,000 so I'll just let you work out exactly how much that is as weekend homework!), or around 22-25% more if the Typhoon had been selected.

The tools used to determine the lowest bidder (L-1) was the overall life cycle cost of the 126 aircraft, and the difference in the direct acquisition cost – that's the figure that will be on the contract the Indians say should be ready for signature this fall. “Rafale was the clear L-1 in both life cycle, as well as direct acquisition costs,” a defense source added.

British Prime Minister David Cameron is particularly outraged because the U.K. gives substantial aid to India every year. But Indian bloggers point out that aid is aid, not a bribe.

Tags: ar99, MMRCA, India, tacair