Jill Aldam negotiated that deal. She knew that the Brit gumment would do whatever it took to get the WG30 into service at any price, even if the aircraft had to be given away for free.
Very clever girl. Her Jewish mother was rightly proud of her.
The Indians did outfox her, however, as they accepted a couple of dozen of the things, together with a very large bucket of money to keep the poxy things flying, for a while.
John wanted to get involved in that transaction and have them sent out as deck cargo on freighters with little more than tarpaulins as weatherproofing for the voyage.