2007年VOA标准英语-Aircraft Manufacturers Line Up to Supply India

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
01 September 2007

The world's biggest aircraft manufacturers are in the race to supply the Indian air force with 126 new fighter jets in a deal worth an estimated $10 billion. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, this will eventually be one of India's largest defense¹ purchases. 

Falcon2" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070907/0954370.jpg" width="195" vspace="2" border="0" />

Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon

Six aircraft manufacturers from Russia, the United States and Europe have been invited by the Indian Defense Ministry³ to bid for the aircraft contract. 

The jets being considered are Lockheed Martin's F16 and Boeing's F18 from the United States, Russia's MIG-35, the Dassault Rafale from France, Sweden's JAS-39 and the Eurofighter Typhoon, which is produced by a consortium of European firms.

India wants to modernize⁴ its air force, whose fleet is mostly made of aging Russian MIG fighters, as well as French and British aircraft.   

propeller5 plane while taking part in the International Aviation and Space Salon6 " hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070907/0954371.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" aug="" outside="" zhukovsky="" at="" />

A MIG-35 aircraft flies under a propeller plane while taking part in the International Aviation and Space Salon "MAKS-2007" at Zhukovsky airfield7, outside Moscow, 23 Aug 2007

Defense analysts⁸ say fighters produced by Russia and U.S. companies are the frontrunners in the race.

India has never purchased fighter planes from American companies before, but ties between India and the United States have warmed in recent years. 

Rahul Bedi of Jane's Defense Weekly says the new equation between India and the U.S could influence the ministry's final selection.  

"Ultimately it is going to be not only an equipment-based decision, but it is also going to be a political decision, so India's increasing ties - strategic ties - with Washington are going to play a fairly significant role in deciding the outcome of this deal," he said.

Bedi says poor service the Indian military has encountered with Russian purchases in the past might also persuade it to turn away from its traditional dependence⁹ on Russian hardware.     

"The Indian air force is quite exasperated¹⁰ and frustrated¹¹ with Russia, because of back-up and supplies and logistics once the sales are made," he added.  "There is a problem, so it is quite possible India may shift away from its traditional supplier, but again it is very difficult to say at this stage, because the Russian MIG-35 which is in competition with the other vendors¹² is also very competent."

Under India's proposed terms, the first 18 planes are to be bought off the shelf.  The remaining aircraft are to be manufactured in India under a technology licensing¹³ arrangement. 

The entire deal is estimated to be worth about $10 billion, but nobody is counting the money yet.  Deals like this are not completed quickly, and ministry officials have indicated it could still be years before the supplier is chosen.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 falcon   

n.隼，猎鹰

参考例句：

• The falcon was twice his size with pouted feathers.鹰张开羽毛比两只鹰还大。
• The boys went hunting with their falcon.男孩子们带着猎鹰出去打猎了。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

5 propeller   

n.螺旋桨，推进器

参考例句：

• The propeller started to spin around.螺旋桨开始飞快地旋转起来。
• A rope jammed the boat's propeller.一根绳子卡住了船的螺旋桨。

6 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

7 airfield   

n.飞机场

参考例句：

• The foreign guests were motored from the airfield to the hotel.用车把外宾从机场送到旅馆。
• The airfield was seized by enemy troops.机场被敌军占领。

8 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

9 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

10 exasperated   

adj.恼怒的

参考例句：

• We were exasperated at his ill behaviour. 我们对他的恶劣行为感到非常恼怒。
• Constant interruption of his work exasperated him. 对他工作不断的干扰使他恼怒。

11 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

13 licensing   

v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A large part of state regulation consists of occupational licensing. 大部分州的管理涉及行业的特许批准。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• That licensing procedures for projects would move faster. 这样的工程批准程序一定会加快。 来自辞典例句