"The AJT proposal is before the cabinet secretariat. We have finalised the last action on the part of the ministry to procure it," Fernandes told the lower house of parliament in response to a question.

"There is only one point to be sorted out. We have asked (for) a reply to that one point from the British company about the particular AJT. If (the reply) comes today, the action will be tomorrow. If (it comes) during the course of this week, then the action will be next week."

India has since 1985 been negotiating to procure the Hawks, which are considered vital to updating the air force's crash-prone fleet of frontier fighter MiG aircraft.

Two companies were short-listed in 1999 for the deal, worth an estimated one billion dollars: BAE for the Hawk and Dassault Aviation for the Alpha jet aircraft.

WAR.WIRE