MoD raises objections over Rafale’s lifecycle cost
Chandan Nandy and Chethan Kumar, Bangalore, March 5, 2012, DHNS:
Date by which contract could be signed may be pushed back
Less than two months after the Indian Air Force (IAF) chose the French Rafale fighter jet for its medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) project, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has raised objections over its lifecycle cost, thereby pushing back the date by which the contract could be signed with the manufacturers, Dassault Aviation.
Top IAF sources said the two MoD members on the Contract Negotiations Committee (CNC) have questioned the low lifecycle cost that was earlier worked out in respect of the Rafale which was chosen over the Eurofighter Typhoon for the Air Force’s MMRCA programme that envisages supply from Dassault 126 aircraft for a massive $20 billion, the largest open tender military aviation deal in the world.
The sources said that the “differences” that have cropped up among the CNC members are centred around the Rafale’s lifecycle cost which the MoD representatives have declared to be far less than what it should be.
“There is no unanimity among the CNC members... and failing a unanimous decision, the Rafale acquisition could well get pushed back,” sources said. While the maintenance cost of a Saab-Gripen single engine aircraft is over $3,000 per hour, that of the far superior Rafale could be estimated to be much higher.
The MoD representatives’ assessment that a Rafale’s lifecycle cost should be higher appears to have stemmed from the defence establishment’s historical reliance on Russian aircraft. According to sources, the MoD officials on the CNC are “not satisfied” with the lower assessment of the lifecycle cost.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/232 ... fales.html
mira mas bien lo que pasa con el gordito. No dudes en avisarnos cuando el C enganche el cable o el B despegue en vertical con carga de combate 
o cuando pueda volar mas de 15 minutos sin fuga de carburante....os va a salir cara la broma.
