Dassault Rafale - Eurofighter invited to open their commercial bids to supply 126 fighters to India 2510112.

The final lap in the marathon to bag the $10.4 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project for supplying 126 fighters for Indian Air Force will begin next week.

It will, however, take two-three weeks to determine the lowest bidder (L-1) after the bids are opened on November 4. "Huge amounts of mathematical and data verification of the lifecycle costs of operating the jets over a 40-year period, with 6,000 hours of flying, as well as cost of ToT (transfer of technology) will have to be done,'' said an official.