India says no to US P-3C Orion aircraft

Rahul Bedi (IANS)

New Delhi, February 2006

In a rare ‘no’ to Washington, the Indian Navy has called off the leasing of two US Navy P-3C Orion maritime reconnaissance aircraft (MRA) on grounds they are too expensive.

The 18-24 months it would take the US Navy to retrofit the two aircraft to the Indian Navy specifications once the lease had been finalised also contributed to New Delhi opting out of the deal.

“The lease (of two P-3C Orions) is timed out. It was expensive and time-consuming,” a senior Indian official associated with the lease negotiations said.

The US Navy is believed to have demanded Rs8 billion for the lease via the foreign military sales programme.

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the “real” reason is probably the extreme alacrity with which 8 P3 were supplied to our dear friends for free. but we’ ll never know for sure.

this was posted by stealth spy in august 2005. kinda makes sense now.

MINSK, August 22 (RIA Novosti) – Belarus will start purchasing new combat aircraft after 2010, a senior Air Force officer said Monday.

Major-General Mikhail Levitsky, the deputy commander of the Air Force and Air Defense, told journalists: “Modern aircraft have a service life of 25-30 years. After 2010, we shall start purchasing new warplanes. We are currently thinking about purchasing Russian-made aircraft and helicopters that can be modernized.”

Levitsky said it would be practical for Belarus to fly multi-functional Su-30 (Flanker) fighters.

“This is a reliable plane capable of providing air support and delivering strikes against various targets and troops and transport facilities deep in the enemy’s defenses,” the general said. “It is two to three times more efficient in terms of combat power and combat use compared with Su-24M (NATO reporting name Fencer-D) and Su-25 (Frogfoot) planes.”

“The Belarusian Air Force will operate Russian-made Il-76 (Candid) medium-range military transport aircraft until 2015,” Levitsky added. “After that, Belarus will purchase new modified transport planes in line with its state rearmament program.”

Belarus intends to purchase Il-76MF planes instead of Il-76MD military transport aircraft. The Il-76MF has an extended cargo hold and increased fuel efficiency. The aircraft is outfitted with a navigation system, which meets the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization, Levitsky said.

Belarus also intends to purchase An-74 (Coaler) military transport planes to replace An-26 (Curl) aircraft. The An-74 can carry five times more than the An-26.

The Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense are also considering buying Russian-made Mi-28N (Havoc) multi-purpose attack helicopters.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20050822/41205059.html