With the Rs 42,000 crore global tender to acquire 126 multi-role combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force finally out, participating countries have started lobbying for their aerospace companies by offering incentives of joint development and defence cooperation.

Sweden is the first off the block, after tenders were issued last week, with a high-level delegation led by Vice Minister for Defence H G Wessburg in Delhi to meet senior officials from the Ministry of Defence this week. The country has proposed new areas of defence cooperation, including the joint development of fighter aircraft and submarines.

“The Swedish Government is proposing to invest in Gripen Fighters and is keen that India too take an investment stake in jointly developing these new generation fighters,” Wessburg told mediapersons after presenting a draft MoU for defence cooperation to Defence Secretary Vijay Singh. Swedish aerospace company SAAB’s Gripen is one of the six fighter jets competing for the Indian MRCA tender.