India to seal big-ticket military deals

NEW DELHI (AFP) - India said on Friday it was gearing up to seal military contracts worth billions of dollars including a massive fighter jet deal which has prompted a dogfight among global aeronautical giants.

India’s move to buy 126 fighter jets worth 12 billion dollars was in its final stages with evaluations of six shortlisted aircraft set to begin next year, Air Chief Marshal Fali Major told a news conference.

“A number of projects now are reaching a conclusion,” Major said in New Delhi, referring to contracts due to be awarded.

“The Indian air force is in a state of transformation and we are on the way to modernisation,” he said. US-based Boeing and Lockheed Martin, Russian MiG, Sweden’s Saab and French Dassault are vying for the world’s richest fighter jet deal in 15 years.