"The procurement proposal for the advanced jet trainer has been cleared by the defence ministry and the recommendations have been sent to the finance ministry for its approval," Defence Minister George Fernandes told reporters in the northwestern Rajasthan state.

Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, who accompanied Fernandes to Badmer in Rajasthan to launch a medical clinic and inspect army facilities, said there would be no delay in taking a decision on the purchase.

However, the final decision will be taken by India's cabinet committee on security, Singh said.

British-made Hawk trainer jets and the Czech L159B jet trainer are among the front rankers for the deal. US and Brazilian companies are also in the fray.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has been scouring international arms markets since 1985 for suitable jets to train pilots to graduate from subsonic trainers to supersonic fighters.

The trainers are meant to replace the decades-old subsonic trainers called "Surya Kirans."

The air force has suffered a string of accidents involving Russian-made supersonic MiG fighters.

The ageing MiG-21 aircraft, many of them 30 years old, are so accident-prone that they have been dubbed "flying coffins."

SPACE.WIRE