Germany still pitching Eurofighter for IAF order

What is touted as the mother of all defence deals - the $20

billion proposal to buy 126 fighters for the Indian Air Force - is expected to figure prominently in the official talks during the first two legs Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-nation visit starting Thursday, an official said.

While a final deal with French firm Dassault Aviation for the purchase of its Rafale

jets has got stuck on pricing and local assembly issues, Germany's envoy here said on Wednesday the European consortium is still ready to step in with the four-nation Eurofighter Typhoon.

"The consortium stands ready with its proposal. The governments of four nations are supporting this proposal because they are convinced it is a good one both in terms of quality of the product and price," German ambassador Michael Steiner told reporters.

He was speaking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Germany beginning on Sunday, before which he will be in France, where the Rafale deal is likely to be discussed.

"We will continue to respect the Indian procurement procedures and it is for India to decide what kind of aircraft it wants to procure," Steiner added.

In January 2012, India picked Rafale over the Eurofighter Typhoon and four other jets for the MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) deal, but a final agreement

is yet to be clinched.

In Germany, Modi and Chancellor Angela Merkel will jointly inaugurate the Hannover Messe fair on Sunday, where India is the partner country this year.