Got this from Alert5. Looks like we'll get F15T in the
end.....
Defence analysts said Washingtons feud with France over
the latters opposition to the Iraq war had recently been
manifesting itself in armament sales.
The US had successfully spiked Frances deals for fighters with
Poland and South Korea recently, they said.
IAF under US pressure in aircraft deal with Qatar
DH News Service New Delhi/Bangalore:
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jul162005/national195252005715.asp
The quoting of low price by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the
purchase of 12 secondhand Mirage 2000-5 fighters from Qatar was
reportedly done under subtle pressure from the US that is
pressuring India to buy its F 16/F18 multi- role combat aircraft
(MRCA).
Armament industry sources said the IAFs last month offer of around
$ 375 million to the Qatari authorities for 12 Mirage 2000-5
aircraft clearly signified that India was not serious about
acquiring the fighters.
The IAFs offer is around half of the $ 750 million that Qatar is
quoting for the Mirage fighters it had acquired from Frances
Dassault eight years ago.
Through its offer India appears to be merely going through the
formality of making a bid for the fighters, knowing fully well that
it would not be acceptable to the Qataris, an overseas source
involved in the negotiations said. The US pressure could be the
reason behind it, the source added.
Mirage 2000-5 is one of the four aircraft alongside the USAs F 16
and F 18 competing for the IAFs multi-million dollar proposal to
acquire 126 fighters. The other two competitors are Russias MiG 29
M and Swedens Saab-Grippen MRCA.
The decision to acquire the 12 Mirage 2000-5s from Qatar was taken
earlier this year by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS )
chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The CCS was endorsing the commitment by the previous NDA
administration two years ago to purchase the used Mirage 2000-5s
in order to prevent Qatar from selling them to Pakistan.
This was when the IAF was in advanced negotiations exclusively with
Dassault for 126 Mirage 2000-5 fighters to strengthen its strategic
deterrence capability.
During his visit to Qatar in January 2003, former deputy prime
minister L K Advani had reportedly told the Sheikhdom that India
would curtail an important gas deal if the jets were sold to
Pakistan and not to the IAF.
Qatars Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani visited Delhi in
April 2005 and held a series of meetings with senior Indian
officials including Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee indicating
that the Mirage 2000-5 was a done deal barring formalities.
Dassault was also to be part of the agreement with the IAF,
involved in refurbishing the fighters before the aircraft joined
service sometime later this year.
In June, an IAF delegation led by S K Sharma, joint secretary
(acquisitions) and a two-star IAF officer visited Qatar and
proposed paying $ 375 million for the fighter jets, an amount
wholly unacceptable to the Emirate, a foreign armament source
said.
The IAFs inexplicably low offer is bound to be turned down, an
armament industry source said, hinting that the omnipotent US
armament lobby was at work. Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, he
said, was already under attack by the Communist parties for giving
in to the US lobby in signing the Defence Framework
Agreement.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is going to the US later this week
during which the purchase of the American fighters would feature
prominently amongst other military matters, a senior Defence
Ministry source said.
Defence analysts said Washingtons feud with France over the
latters opposition to the Iraq war had recently been manifesting
itself in armament sales.
The US had successfully spiked Frances deals for fighters with
Poland and South Korea recently, they said.
