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Delay in AJT purchase: Fernandes
throws up his hands in despair

"Nearly half-a-dozen aircraft could now be said to be in contention for the multi-billion Pound deal," he remarked.

Speaking on the sidelines of an Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) lecture in Delhi, Fernandes said, "I am at my wits end."

He expressed fears that re-opening the deal could take years and would cause a setback to the IAF's advanced pilot training programme.

The defence minister said his ministry had made ready its recommendations for submission to the Cabinet Committee on Security.

India, which plans to purchase 66 AJTs, has been in negotiations with British Aerospace for the Hawk 200 jets for the last 12 years.

Fernandes had recently said that price negotiations with the British company had been completed.

However, the Czech-US consortium's L-159 made a late bid citing an almost 20 per cent lower price than the Hawks and claiming that unlike the Hawks, which employed technology almost 25 years old, its trainers were up-to-date having just been inducted into service.

During the informal chat with mediapersons, Fernandes also frowned upon recent comments by the top IAF brass that the service was ready to evaluate any aircraft systems.

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