BE PATIENT: India says it is still negotiating with France’s Dassault on the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program. “The proposal will be considered further after the Contract Negotiations Committee concludes its deliberations and submits its report,” Defense Minister A.K. Antony said in parliament Aug. 8. Dassault is expected to sign the Indian air force’s biggest-ever contract, worth more than $15 billion, to supply 126 Rafale fighters. India intends to induct the first squadron of 18 MMRCAs into its air force by 2016.
NEW DELHI — India will penalize foreign military firms that fail to fulfill their defense offset requirements within the set time frame under revised guidelines. According to the amended defense offset policy, the “overall cap on penalty will be 20% of the total offset obligations during the period of the main procurement contract,” a defense official says. But there will be “no cap on penalty” if an international vendor falls short of meeting its obligations within two years of the main procurement contract, he adds.
