Washington, DC: Pentagon is making a strong pitch that India opt for American fighters, as India's $10 billion deal to acquire 126 multi role Jet Aircraft is close to be finalised."I am a strong advocate of US solutions for India's defence needs", a top Pentagon official Michele Flournoy said stressing that "US companies were eager to work with India as Indian military continues to modernise".
Noting that two American companies, Boeing and Lockheed Martin were in the race for the deal-- which is currently the world's biggest defence contract, Flournoy who is under secretary for defence for policy said, American companies were keen to work with India.
Boeing is bidding with its F-18 super hornet while Lockheed Martin has put into the fray its upgraded F-16 fighting falcons.
Indian Air Force has already carried out trial evaluations of the six contenders in the deal and is expected to short list competitors shortly. Besides, the American companies, European Arms Consortium EADS, French Rafale, Swedish Gripen and Russian MIG-35 are in the hunt.
Both Boeing and Lockheed Martin recently bagged multi billion contracts for sale of C-130 J transport aircraft and P-81 Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft to India. Boeing is also bidding to sale its heavy lift C-17 transporters.
"I want to underscore though that we in the Department of Defence do not view defence sales as mere commercial transactions. We understand that India is making a strategic as well as an economic choice when it makes defence acquisitions," the Pentagon official said.
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