NEW DELHI: While India is expected next WEERTO: a massive dollar 6 billion loan from International” Monetary Fund the way is being paved here for pending about one-third of it on acquiring Alfa war planes from a France-German joint venture.
This shocking revelation is made by Sunday Mail, an English language weekly published from here which claims that Defence Minister Sharad Pawar is about to affix his signature on the deal.
India is abandoning MIG-21s supplied by the Soviet Union due to a series of accidents during the past five” years, It has finally opted for ALFA jet after rejecting competitors HAWK of Britain and L-39 Albatross: Czechoslovakia. Indian pilots are at present being trained in Kiran and MIG-21s. The country needs 98 Alpha jets to train the young pilots.
Interestingly India will be supplied the war plat from a third country. The machines will be second hand. Indian authorities state that the second he machines will cost less than the new ones. The machines will be refitted and refurbished according to Indian authorities.
India opted for Alfa planes during Prime Mi Rao’s three-day visit of West Germany. Prior to the visit, the German authorities had let it be known that they were having second thoughts on the earlier commitments on extending certain loans to India during Rao’ s visit the German government change stand and agreed to extend the loan.
Germany which swears by human rights evidently not points out to the Indian authorities any of concerns. Not long ago India had bailed out a British helicopter firm from becoming bankrupt by pi orders with it on the then British Prime Mir political intervention.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 20, 1991
