India's largest ever global military tender to acquire 126 fighters for an estimated $10 billion took off on Monday with six aviation companies submitting their technical bids to the Defence Ministry.

All contenders who had been given the request for proposals — Russia (MIG-35), Sweden (Gripen), France (Rafale), America (Lockheed Martin F 16 and Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet) and a European consortium (Eurofighter Typhoon) — have responded with detailed technical proposals, ranging from 7,000-20,000 pages each.

The proposals will now be scrutinised by IAF before the first round of field trials kick off by the end of this year. The contenders said they were confident about their fighter meeting and even exceeding requirements of the Air Force.

The Defence Ministry will now be looking to expedite the selection process as it has already been delayed by two months after EADS (Eurofighter) asked for a time extension to submit the bids.

All companies have submitted details of fighters specially tailored for India and have even given them special designations for the upcoming flight tests. US manufacturer Lockheed Martin has designated its fighter the F-16 IN and has said it is “specifically tailored to meet IAF needs and is the most advanced multi-role combat aircraft in production anywhere in the world today”.

Boeing, which has designated its fighter as the F/A-18IN Super Hornet, has issued a statement saying that the company’s “strategic goal” has been to seek a long-term partnership with New Delhi that would give India a “direct hand in building an advanced fighter aircraft that will robustly defend their shores and airspace, infuse new strength into the Indian Air Force, and serve as a catalyst for India's growing defense aerospace industry”.

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