India eyes Boeing fighter jets in latest procurement twist

印度采购波音战斗机

NEW DELHI/SINGAPORE: Boeing Co, considered the frontrunner in the race to supply the Indian navy with new fighter jets, is now in contention for a much bigger $15 billion order after the government abruptly asked the air force + to consider the twin-engine planes.

新德里/新加坡：波音公司，被认为是印度海军新型战斗机供应赛的领先者，在政府突然要求空军考虑配备双引擎飞机后，正在争夺的一个更大的150亿美元订单。

Until recently, Lockheed Martin Corp's F-16 and Saab AB's Gripen were in a two-horse race supply at least 100 single-engine jets to build up the Indian Air Force's fast-depleting combat fleet.

印度空军建立快速消耗作战舰队需要至少100架单引擎飞机，一直以来，洛克希德·马丁公司的F-16和萨伯公司的“鹰狮”在两强赛中不分伯仲。

Both had offered to build the planes in India in collaboration with local companies as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's drive to build a domestic industrial base and cut back on arms imports.

两方都同意在印度与当地企业合作建造飞机，这是莫迪总理推动建立国内工业基地和削减武器进口部分的合作之一。

资料图 超级大黄蜂

But last month the government asked the air force to open up the competition to twin-engine aircraft and to evaluate Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, a defence ministry source said. That jet is a finalist for the Indian navy's $8 billion to $9 billion contract for 57 fighters.

但国防部的消息来源说，上个月政府要求空军开放双引擎飞机采购竞争，评估波音的F/A-18超级大黄蜂。这架喷气式飞机最终入围印度海军57架战斗机80亿至90亿美元采购合同的考虑范围。

译文来源：三泰虎 http://www.santaihu.com/44388.html

The defence ministry plans to within weeks issue a request for information (RFI), the first stage of a procurement process, for a fighter to be built in India. The competition will be open to both single and twin-engine jets, the official said, but both Lockheed and Saab said they had not been informed about the new requirements.

印度国防部计划在几周内发出一份信息请求（RFI），这是将在印度建造战斗机作为终极目得的采购过程的第一阶段。这项竞争将对单引擎和双引擎喷气机开放，这位官员说，但是洛克希德和萨博都说他们并没有收到新要求的通知。

The latest change of heart is a major opportunity for Boeing, whose only foreign Super Hornet customer so far is the Royal Australian Air Force.

这个最新的动向是波音公司的一个重大机会，迄今为止波音公司超级大黄蜂唯一的外国客户是澳大利亚皇家空军。

It also illustrates how dysfunctional the weapons procurement process and arms industry are in the world's second-most-populous country. The need for new fighters has been known for nearly 15 years, but after many announcements, twists and turns, the country's air force has only three-quarters of the aircraft it needs.

这也说明了在印度这个世界第二人口大国，武器采购过程和武器工业是多么的混乱。对于新型战斗机的需求从15年前就开始了，但历经了无数声明，曲折和转向，印度空军对飞机的需求还是只满足了3/4。

An indigenous light combat aircraft, the Tejas, is still not operational, 35 years after it was first proposed.

一种本土的轻型战斗机，特哈斯，在35年前推出后仍然不具操作性。

资料图 F16

An Indian Air Force source said fighter procurement was urgent: the branch's operational strength has fallen to just 33 squadrons, its weakest level in four decades, as it decommissions Soviet-era MiG-21s.

印度空军消息称，战斗机采购十分紧急：苏联时代的米格21退役后，空军的战斗实力已下降到只有33个中队，是四十年来的最低水平。

"The IAF wants the RFI issued within weeks and get the process started," said the source, who declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media. "The problem is that government keeps shifting what it wants."

一位未被授权在媒体上发表意见的不愿透露姓名的消息人士称“印度空军希望本周内发出信息请求，开始采购程序，问题是政府对于想要的机型悬而未决。”