The favorites to win the tender are the French Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon, Indian media say.
Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the holding company formost of the Russian aircraft industry, and its fighter subsidiary MiG,have not officially confirmed the reports.
“The official results of the tender have not yet been announced,” said UAC’s Press Secretary Konstantin Lantratov.
“The MiG-35 is not leaving the tender, and I have no officialinformation about this,” said UAC First Vice-President Mikhail Pogosyan.
A MiG source quoted by Kommersant said it was too early to say what the Indians had decided.
“The envelopes with the commercial proposals should be studied by the tender commission only this week,” the source said.
Several sources quoted by the paper listed a raft of problems aroundthe MiG-35 program, including a lack of financing to support it. Onesource said the lack of state funding to support the program had beennoted by UAC President Aleksei Fyodorov as long ago as the end of 2008,but the issue was not resolved.
The MiG-35 is said to be a cheaper aircraft than its rivals but is said to have problems with engine life.
“Time between overhauls should be at least 2000 hours and overalllife 4000 hours, but the RD-33 doesn’t meet these parameters now,” saidone source.
India already operates the early model MiG-29A fighter aircraft andis taking delivery of the MiG-29K naval fighter, which it will operatefrom a Russian-built aircraft carrier which is currently under refit.
The selection of two favored aircraft for the Indian tender followsa long trials process, which also involved Sweden’s SAAB Gripen,America’s Lockheed Martin with the F-16, and Boeing’s F-18 SuperHornet, as well as the Russian MiG-35.
MOSCOW, August 10 (RIA Novosti)
