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Sri Lanka to have formal discussions over purchase of Indian fighter jets – reports

The Sri Lankan government is set to have formal discussions with India over the purchase of India’s indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas fighter jets, reports India Today.

Sources reportedly confirmed with the news channel that Colombo has expressed interest in the deal and formal discussions will take place between the two sides in the coming months.

The jet, which still has not attained final operational clearance (FOC), was recently showcased at the Bahrain International Air Show and has begun test firing of a beyond visual range air-to-air missiles (BVRAAM).

The apparent interest comes after reports that New Delhi sent a “diplomatic missive” to Colombo leading to the Sri Lanka government cancelling a deal to buy JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft from Pakistan.

See our earlier post: Sri Lanka cancels Pakistan jet deal after Indian opposition (10 Jan 2016)

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