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A lucrative £200 million deal for supply British Hawk trainer jets to the Indian Air Force could be delayed after Indian defence officials 'lose file 
A £200 million deal to supply 20 British Hawk trainer jets to India was under threat last night after defence officials admitted the file on the planned sale was "lost".
India's ministry of defence said the paperwork relating to the file had gone missing and that the deal could not be completed until the documents were found or redrafted.
The blunder has caused acute embarrassment to the government and threatens to delay the delivery of the jets and payments to Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems, the British firms that supply its engines and hardware.
The Hawks were earmarked for India's 'Red Arrows', the Surya Kiran aerobatics team, which has been grounded since its own ageing aircraft were deemed unsafe three years ago.
They are an addition to one of Britain's largest defence deals, worth £1.6 billion, to supply 113 Hawks to train India's air force and navy combat pilots. Some of the jets are to be made in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. A spokesman for India's ministry of defence declined to comment on the matter but officials privately confirmed the loss of the file. Without it, the procurement cannot proceed, and documents may need to be redrafted.
It is the second time in recent years that a paper file on a major defence deal has been lost by officials. In December 2010, documents relating to the multi-billion pound aircraft project – eventually won by France's Rafale – were discovered on a Delhi road.
It later emerged that an official had taken it to his guesthouse room and later lost it.
The Hawk trainer deal was embroiled in a controversy earlier this year when the Indian government launched a corruption inquiry following claims that Rolls-Royce figures had bribed staff at the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd between 2007 and 2011.
Defence analyst Deba Mohanty said the loss of the file was a serious breach of national security and called for an inquiry.
"If true, this is a serious, serious problem and a breach of security within the ministry of defence. How can a file go missing? The ministry must get its act together and the culprit must be found. We need to know what happened", he said.
Britain’s Hawk trainer jet deal faces delays after India ‘loses file’ - Telegraph
A £200 million deal to supply 20 British Hawk trainer jets to India was under threat last night after defence officials admitted the file on the planned sale was "lost".
India's ministry of defence said the paperwork relating to the file had gone missing and that the deal could not be completed until the documents were found or redrafted.
The blunder has caused acute embarrassment to the government and threatens to delay the delivery of the jets and payments to Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems, the British firms that supply its engines and hardware.
The Hawks were earmarked for India's 'Red Arrows', the Surya Kiran aerobatics team, which has been grounded since its own ageing aircraft were deemed unsafe three years ago.
They are an addition to one of Britain's largest defence deals, worth £1.6 billion, to supply 113 Hawks to train India's air force and navy combat pilots. Some of the jets are to be made in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. A spokesman for India's ministry of defence declined to comment on the matter but officials privately confirmed the loss of the file. Without it, the procurement cannot proceed, and documents may need to be redrafted.
It is the second time in recent years that a paper file on a major defence deal has been lost by officials. In December 2010, documents relating to the multi-billion pound aircraft project – eventually won by France's Rafale – were discovered on a Delhi road.
It later emerged that an official had taken it to his guesthouse room and later lost it.
The Hawk trainer deal was embroiled in a controversy earlier this year when the Indian government launched a corruption inquiry following claims that Rolls-Royce figures had bribed staff at the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd between 2007 and 2011.
Defence analyst Deba Mohanty said the loss of the file was a serious breach of national security and called for an inquiry.
"If true, this is a serious, serious problem and a breach of security within the ministry of defence. How can a file go missing? The ministry must get its act together and the culprit must be found. We need to know what happened", he said.
Britain’s Hawk trainer jet deal faces delays after India ‘loses file’ - Telegraph
