Britain still hopes to sell Eurofighter to India

Britain still hopes to sell Eurofighter to India

After expressing its disappointment over Indian Government’s decision to buy 126 French multi-role Rafale fighter jets, Britain has now made a fresh bid to sell its combat jets, Eurofighters, to India.

Visiting British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Jeremy Brown on Monday made the intentions clear. He told the media in Bangalore on the sidelines of a function that Britain was keen to sell jet fighters as there was still hope India can buy Eurofighters.

He said, “We feel that the Typhoon is the strongest offer...obviously, otherwise we wouldn’t be hoping that’s the competitive bid. Obviously, there are still some considerations that need to be made”.

Eurofighter Typhoon is manufactured by EADS under a consortium of Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy. Many MPs and even the British Prime Minister directly expressed their disappointment over India chosing French Rafale in a multi-billion dollar deal. Some of the MPs even went to the extent of seeking a ban on aid to India over the deal.

The British Minister feels that Typhoon offers the best technology for India. In his effort to hardsell his combat jets they were ready to offer a right mix of technology transfer needed by India.

Browne said “I hope that the Indian Government will continue to look into the Typhoon offer. My understanding is that the preferred bidder decision has been made but the final outcome has not been completely determined and we continue to believe that we have an attractive offer available.”

Asked if the Eurofighter Typhoon would lower the bid to win back the contract, he said “That’s a commercial decision which the people making the offer need to make”.

On some British MPs demanding an end to British aid to India after Typhoon failed to win the contract, Browne said he certainly does not believe that one should link development spending to contracts.

However he said “The Indian Government is completely free to decide who wins the contract”, Browne said, noting that “obviously, when there is a British bidder, we would like the British bidder to be successful”.

The Minister also condemned the stabbing of an Indian student in London. He said it was a “terrible incident” even as he tried to downplay it, saying the European country is one of the safest places. “I am aware of the case. Obviously it’s a serious offence and we must all be very concerned about the victim”.