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India has finalised the price for the purchase of Hawk jet trainers from BAe Systems and the deal is 'much closer now', Defence Minister George Fernandes has said.
"It is much closer in the sense that the price negotiating committee has completed its work, and the matter is now coming before the Cabinet," Fernandes told Channel 4 News on Tuesday.
The deal -- estimated to be worth about one billion pounds -- now only requires the approval of the Cabinet, which is due to discuss it next month.
A spokesman for BAe Systems declined to comment on Fernandes' remarks.
Negotiations over the order have been going on for more than 15 years, but had recently stalled on the issue of price.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair was reported to have attempted to help break the stalemate during his visit to India earlier this year.
Some of the jets are expected to be built in Bangalore.
At one stage India was also considering opting for a Czech-built plane rather than the Hawk.
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