Air Force MRCA Deal - Gripen a strong contender claims SAAB

[Deletedid1]

Aerospace and Defence Expo 2010, Eddy de la Motte, Director of Gripen for India made a strong statement to the Press Trust of India showing tremendous confidence in the chances of the Gripen fighter jet making the shortlist for the Indian Air Force MRCA (Multi-role Combat Aircraft) deal.

Estimated at USD $10 billion, the MRCA deal is one of the single largest defense deals in the world and top aerospace companies from United States, Russia and Europe have made strong and aggressive pitches.

The other fighter jets in the fray are the MiG 35s, Boeing F/A-18s, Lockheed Martin F-16INs, Eurofighter Typhoons and the Dassault Rafales. India Defence earlier reported that Dassault Rafales and Eurofighters have emerged strong favorites for the MRCA deal - which makes the timing of SAAB's statements critical.

Eddy de la Motte's said:
"THE TRIALS WERE A COMPLETE SUCCESS. WE ARE VERY HAPPY WITH THE TRIALS THAT WENT OFF EARLY 2010. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT STEPS AND WE ARE HOPEFUL"

His statements were backed by Magnus Lewis-Olsson - Gripen's Campaign Directory and Test Pilot:
"IF YOU WIN INDIA, THAT WOULD BE A STRONG SIGNAL FOR THE WORLD"

Gripen - like the other contenders - has undergone trials at Bangalore, Leh and Jaisalmer for performance assessment trials over varying terrain and weather conditions over six months that ended in April 2010.

[sattipandu]

Military forums speak good of Gripen!
I want Eurofighter to Win! very capable SOB that will help us keep chink's and paki's at bay