Political Science

In an effort to shore up its aerial defenses, India has said that the country will narrow down its choices to two American aircraft manufacturers and a host of European jet fighter companies by the middle of 2010. The deal, if consummated, is being watched as not only company profits are at stake but also diplomatic relationships and vested interests are also seen to play a significant role in the purchase of some of the most technologically advanced air machines in use today by the worlds armed forces. The protagonists in the  fight  include the two American fighter jet manufacturers, Boeing and Lockheed, and the contingent from the European continent, France, offering the Dassault Rafale, Russia with their MIG-35, Sweden ready to rev up the Indian skies with the Saab JAS-39 Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon, manufactured by a consortium of companies from Spain, Germany, Italy and Britain (Bappa Majumdar, 2010).

The new round of acquisitions have arose to the fears of the Indian government that China is trying to gerrymander around the subcontinent to isolate the country from acquiring more of the worlds resources and to stymie the march of India towards superpower status in the world. The other threat that the acquisition seeks to address is the seeming emergence of its neighbor, Pakistan, which has the  F-16 of one of the American companies, Lockheed Martin in its fleet. This development has prompted New Delhi to consider fighters that can destroy their targets from a distance of at least 30 miles. At present the fighters are under trials with the Armed Forces of  India, with the F-16 already done with the trials and the rest of the contenders still undergoing trials targeted to last until April (Majumdar, 2010).

New Delhi seems to be keeping its cards close to ts chest after Indias representative to Italy recently announced in a conference in Rome that the Typhoon seemed to hold the advantage over the other fighters being evaluated. Defense Minister A.K. Antony was seen boarding a flight simulator of the European fighter, which may signal a digression from the traditional supplier of military fighter aircraft to the country, Russia and the MIGs.  But this need to diversify its arms base and the increasing growth in the relationships of the country with the last acknowledged superpower on the planet, the United States, seems to beguile observers in the plans of India, but the growing warm diplomatic initiatives with Washington may tilt the favor to the two American companies (Majumdar, 2010).

Opinion Gearing up for superpower status
From the opening of the article, the author seems to place a sense of urgency on the purported purchase of the country to some of the most advanced air weaponry that is legally available on the defense market. To India, the purchase is officially about countering the threats that New Delhi seems to recognize as clear threats to the security of the country, especially those coming from Pakistan and China.  India is seriously thinking about measures about how to sufficiently address these threats and more, so it seems. But is the purchase of these purveyors of death from the air is the only legitimate reason that the country is on this binge

The country seems to be trying to facilitate the balance of power with the actions of its representatives at various international forums. The action of the Defense Minister being seen boarding the flight simulator and some others seen testing the American FA-18  Super Hornet of Boeing and Lockheed Martins F-16 can be seen to assuage the feelings of Washington with whom they have an increasing relationship and play the same chord with their European partners, each trying to share in the lucrative market of India. India is trying to play its card close to its chest and hiding its choice to possibly reduce the protest that any of the parties will have against the country should it make final its choice about its final choice on which of the  suitors  will finally win the  hand  of the country and say yes to the winner of the contest.