Purchase of 10 C-17 airlifters approved

New Delhi: A cabinet panel on Monday approved the purchase of 10 Boeing C-17 airlifters for the Indian Air Force (IAF) for USD 4.1 billion, an official said.
The cabinet committee on security, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accorded the approval, the official said.
The US Congress had approved the sale of the fully loaded aircraft for USD 5.8 billion. However, since India is yet to ink a key military pact with the US, the aircraft might come without some critical communications equipment, the official said.

This is because India is yet to sign the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMoA), the official said.

IANS