Indian Navy Looking to Orion Alternative

From eDefense

Indian Navy Looking to Orion Alternative

by Pulkit Singh

Apr. 25, 2005

The Indian Navy is now focused on buying Falcon 900 maritime-patrol aircraft (MPA) from Dassault Aviation of France, as over two years of negotiations over the acquisition of P-3 Orions from the US have not borne fruit.

The Indian government has been negotiating the purchase of eight used US Navy P-3Bs Orions, which would be upgraded to the C model prior to delivery to India. However, an Indian Navy official said, with only three Il-38 maritime-surveillance aircraft (two crashed in October 2002) and the service's aging Il-142 surveillance aircraft long overdue for upgrades, the Indian Navy is now focused on buying the Falcon 900 MPA, offered by Dassault just last month. He also said that the Falcon 900 MPA is much cheaper than the P-3 Orion, with the price of a new Falcon MPA being the equivalent of the second-hand P-3 Orion aircraft, the purchase of which India has been negotiating under the US Foreign Military Sales program. The official added, though, that the Indian Navy would still procure additional maritime-reconnaissance aircraft, should a deal for the Falcon 900s be reached.