Qatar has offered to sell 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to India as Indonesia cancels the purchase. A Qatari delegation visited New Delhi to offer this proposal. India Today reported that Indian officials received a detailed explanation from the Qatari delegation regarding the condition of the second-hand Mirage 2000-5 aircraft they were offering.
The condition of the aircraft is said to be good. India is reportedly interested in Qatar’s proposal because the Indian Air Force uses a fleet of Mirage-2000s with the same engines, which would ease maintenance. The IAF also has a fleet of Rafale from the same company, Dassault Aviation. The Qatari team offered Rs 5,000 crore for the 12 aircraft, but the Indian side offered a lower price.
Qatar also offered India additional missiles and engines for Mirage 2000-5 flight operations. The delegation stressed that the aircraft could be used, not just as spare parts. The Indian Air Force had previously received many used spare parts and equipment from French vendors. The acquisition of second-hand Mirage 2000s is expected to address the IAF’s shortage of fighter jets. Previously, Indonesia was interested in acquiring 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets from Qatar.
However, these plans have been cancelled due to budget constraints. Indonesia discusses acquiring Boeing’s F-15EX and Dassault’s Rafale and co-producing KF-21 Boramae with the Republic of Korea. It also fails to pay the instalments for developing this indigenous aircraft.
