Article Posted on : - Feb 19, 2014

The F-22 Raptor of the US Air Force.

NEW DELHI (PTI): The Indian Air Force (IAF) has told a parliamentary committee that it could have bid for F-22 or B-2 aircraft in its quest for the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) but decided against them as both are among the costliest planes which they did not need.

"We do not spend much money in getting what we want.

Currently, we could have bid for F-22 or B-2 which are one of the costliest aircraft. We do not need that," a representative of Air Force told the Standing Committee on Defence, according to the committee's report.

The Air Force argued they keep in mind the firepower of their adversaries in the northern front and their national objectives according to what the government wants them to do and then they decided on these aircraft.

The detailed reply from the Air Force came after the Committee sought to know how they arrived at a decision to buy the MMRCA of such specifications and type of aircraft which would suit the country.

India had announced in 2012 that Dassault Rafale of France had won the competition due to its lower life-cycle cost. The negotiation for the procurement of 126 Rafale fighters is now under process.

The Air Force also informed the committee that the design of Light Combat Aircraft is Indian but the components which are being installed are not all Indian.

"We have a large number of components which are being obtained from foreign sources because we do not have the capacity or the capability to manufacture them in India as of now. The delivery of LCA is likely to commence from the middle of this year," they told the Committee.