(Times of India) : The Cabinet Committee on Security approved on Wednesday the upgrade of Air Force's Mirage-2000 fighter fleet, estimated to cost over Rs 10,000 crore.
The approval comes after several months of negotiations and delay, and may not include the cost of armaments for the upgraded French fighters.
According to sources, the CCS chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the $2.3 billion upgrade proposal from a consortium of French defence firms Dassault Aviation and Thales, and India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
A separate proposal for almost $700 million worth armaments for mounting on the upgraded Mirage-2000 fighters will be approved later, sources said.
Under the approved upgrade programme, the 51 French fighters with the IAF would get advanced multimode doppler radar, modern glass cockpit, fully integrated electronic warfare suite and beyond visual range capabilities.
Two of the Mirage-2000 would be upgraded in France by the aircraft's manufacturer Dassault Aviation and Thales, two in India with French assistance, and rest entirely by the Indian workforce at HAL.
The upgrade order is the second biggest deal for the Air Force in recent times. In early June, the government concluded a $4.1 billion deal for purchase of 10 C-17 Globemaster aircraft for the Air Force.
The approval comes after several months of negotiations and delay, and may not include the cost of armaments for the upgraded French fighters.
According to sources, the CCS chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the $2.3 billion upgrade proposal from a consortium of French defence firms Dassault Aviation and Thales, and India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
A separate proposal for almost $700 million worth armaments for mounting on the upgraded Mirage-2000 fighters will be approved later, sources said.
Under the approved upgrade programme, the 51 French fighters with the IAF would get advanced multimode doppler radar, modern glass cockpit, fully integrated electronic warfare suite and beyond visual range capabilities.
Two of the Mirage-2000 would be upgraded in France by the aircraft's manufacturer Dassault Aviation and Thales, two in India with French assistance, and rest entirely by the Indian workforce at HAL.
The upgrade order is the second biggest deal for the Air Force in recent times. In early June, the government concluded a $4.1 billion deal for purchase of 10 C-17 Globemaster aircraft for the Air Force.
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