The government would have to ensure smooth and time-efficient selection process for the MMRCA project if it wants to stop further bleeding of the IAF’s Op Potential

As the clock turns, it is nearly Seven and a half years since the Indian Air Force (IAF) submitted its urgent requirement in January 2001 for 126 (six squadrons worth) medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) to replace its obsolete and ageing aircraft. In the highly complex sequence of mandates that define the process for acquisition of defence equipment in India, it took as many as three years for the proposal to be accepted in principle by the government prior to executing the first step of issuing a Request for Information.

Many turns and twists later, including issuance of a voluminous document on Defence Procurement Procedure (which itself has undergone a revision in 2006 and is in the process of being revised again), the Request for Proposal (RFP) was finally issued in August last year to six contenders with the floating of a global tender. The initial deadline of six months had to be extended further to enable all the six competing aviation companies to cover all aspects including the contract’s massive 50 per cent offset clauses.

Good news is all the six contenders met the revised deadline in submitting individual responses by April 28. Bad news would be the hint of any credence to rumours of certain anomalies that might force a redo of the RFP exercise. Any major, or even minor, modification of the proposal at this stage could involve considerable reworking, triggering a fresh round of dithering and delays. Worse, should there be a change of government at the Centre in the aftermath of the general elections scheduled less than a year from now, the entire procedure could hit a bottleneck once again. While a review in such cases may be a justifiable prerogative of the elected government, equally must be its responsibility to be sensitive to the urgent and time-bound requirements of national security.