British PM says will urge India to change mind on jets

Feb 01, 2012 |

London

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A ‘disappointed’ British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday said he would do ‘everything he can’ to ‘encourage’ India to reconsider its decision to acquire 126 French-made Rafale fighter jets instead of the UK-backed Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.

"Of course, I will do everything I can, as I have already, to encourage the Indians to look at Typhoon," Cameron told Parliament, a day after India announced that it will opt for Dassault Rafale fighter jets under the biggest-ever military contract that may be worth over $10 billion.

"The decision is obviously disappointing," Cameron said, insisting that the contract had not yet been awarded to the French firm.

Cameron said the Typhoon, made by a European consortium including British defence company BAE Systems, was ‘a superb aircraft, with further capability than Rafale and we will try to encourage the Indians to take that view’.

Earlier, a spokesman for Cameron said Britain would look very carefully at why India opted for Dassault's Rafale jets.

"We will want to learn from that," he said.

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