RAF Typhoon headed for operations in Libya
Posted on 12/17/2011 6:42:36 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Britain must continue giving aid to India to secure £6.6bn fighter jet deal, says minister
The Government's controversial decision to continue giving money to India, a nation that has more billionaires than the UK and an aid programme of its own, is directly linked to developing trade and investment opportunities, a senior minister admitted yesterday.
With surprising bluntness, the International Development minister, Andrew Mitchell, said the decision to spend £1.2bn over the next five years was part of a broader partnership that included the hoped-for sale of fighter jets to India.
"It's an important market, and for our children and grandchildren, it will be an even more important market," Mr Mitchell told journalists in Delhi. Since the Department for International Development (Dfid) announced earlier this year the results of a review of its overseas aid programme, the Government has come under fire for continuing to give money to a nation with a space programme, an economy growing at more than 7 per cent and the resources to offer aid to countries overseas itself. Dfid has argued that hundreds of millions of people in India continue to survive on less than a £1 a day and it says Britain's aid is precisely targeted.
Mr Mitchell said half of the aid money would go towards developing public-private partnerships. The first of these was launched yesterday, with Mr Mitchell announcing a tie-up with the Industries Development Bank of India, aimed at helping the poor gain access to financial services.
Last year, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, visited India with the aim of securing jobs and investment back home. Since then, Britain has seen its exports to India increase by 45 per cent and one potential deal officials are anxiously following is the sale of 126 fighter jets to Delhi. The EuroFighter Typhoon, made by a consortium including Britain's BAE Systems, is one of two jets that have made the shortlist for a deal worth about £6.6bn. Asked about the strategic goals of Britain's aid programme to India, Mr Mitchell said: "It's about everything I have just mentioned. The focus... is also about seeking to sell Typhoon. The relationship is a relationship you have to take in the round."
Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/britain-must-continue-giving-aid-to-india-to-secure-66bn-fighter-jet-deal-says-minister-16092307.html#ixzz1gqjw3WMn
RAF Typhoon headed for operations in Libya
interesting GD never found the need for canards... 
Delta wings are rather common. The new tiffies have canards, meaning they are closer to the Rafale and Mirage 2000.
There you have the real reason for the "aid." I bet Mr.Mitchell's cronies the beneficiary of this public-private partnership. The Indians must be wondering why a Brit is more interested in foisting this aid on them.
That question comes up often whenever planes like the Typhoon and Rafale come up, and I have always found it a tad strange. After all, one could also say that the manufacturer of the Tiffy and Rafale never had the need for horizontal stabilizers (after all, a canard is simply a horizontal stabilizer aka tailplane mounted in front of the wings). Which is why I find the question strange - in the past some on FR have criticized canards, but do not seem to have a problem with horizontal stabs. It is like a criticism of an alsatian while overlooking a German shepherd - when they are basically the same thing.
it really wasn't a criticism just an observation in design philosophy... the XL is an older design but i wonder which one really works better from the pilot's point of view???
yup, that too...
One reason could be that XL was developed as a prospective replacement for the F-111, so heavy range/payload was the primary criterion.Not enhanced agility for air superiority missions which was a major requirement of the European air forces and necessitated the use of canards for their Deltas.
Who knows how the XL could have evolved if it did win that competition.
thx... i did not know that
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