India Defence Ministry approves USD 1.5 billion aircraft deal for Navy

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) To boost maritime surveillance capabilities of Indian Navy, the Defence Ministry has approved a proposal to procure nine medium range maritime reconnaissance (MRMR) aircraft expected to cost over USD 1.5 billion. The approval for procuring the MRMR aircraft was granted by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Friday, Ministry officials said here. The nine MRMR planes will be in addition to the 12 American-origin P-8I long-range (LRMR) aircraft already being acquired by Indian Navy at a USD 3.1 billion price tag. Several global aviation majors including American Lockheed Martin, Swedish SAAB, French Dassault Aviation, Brazilian Embraer and European EADS are in contention for this contract. With an operating range of over 350 nautical miles, these MRMR planes are expected to act as Indian Navy's eyes and ears over the Indian Ocean in the medium range. While the P-8Is, with an operating range of around 1,200 nautical miles, will patrol the outermost layer of India's three-tier maritime surveillance grid, Israeli spy drones like Heron and Searcher-II as well as Dorniers make up the inner most layer. PTI