Indian MMRCA tender RFP favours single engine aircraft: Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin, which is fielding its single engine F-16 in the Indian MMRCA competition,is of the view that the RFP for the tender actually favours single engine fighters due to its emphasis on life cycle costs. As the life cycle costs of a single engine fighter are substantially lower than that of twin engine fighter, the former will have a clear edge over the latter in technical evaluation, said Orville Prinz, VP Business Development, India of Lockheed Martin. Prinz was speaking at a media briefing during the Aero India 2011 show. The F-16 and the Saab Gripen are the only twin engine fighters in the $10 billion competition to sell 126 fighters to the IAF. The others, the Furofighter, the Boeing F/A 18 and the Russian MiG 35 are twin engine fighters.