According to the plans, 22 single-seat Rafale Marine aircraft and four training aircraft would be delivered to the Indian Navy
13 July, New Delhi: On Thursday, the Indian government’s Defence Ministry gave the green light for the purchase of 26 French-made Rafale fighter jets and three Scorpene class conventional submarines for the Indian Navy.
Officials from the Defence Ministry informed ANI that the recommendations were accepted during a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) at which Defence Minister Rajanth Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the heads of the three military services were also present. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to France, the accords, which have been granted Acceptance of Necessity by DAC, are expected to be publicised, according to sources. On Thursday morning, Prime Minister Modi left on a two-day trip to France.
According to the plans, 22 single-seat Rafale Marine aircraft and four training aircraft would be delivered to the Indian Navy.
Given the current state of national security, the Navy has been aggressively lobbying for the acquisition of these fighter planes and submarines.
Both the INS Vikramaditya and the INS Vikrant, which have been flying MiG-29s, would benefit from the addition of the Rafales to their fleet of fighter planes.
Meanwhile, the Navy plans to purchase three Scorpene class submarines from Mumbai’s Mazagon Dockyards Limited as part of Project 75 using the repeat clause.
The transactions are expected to be worth more than Rs 90,000 crore, but the true cost won’t be known until contract discussions, which will take place after the deal is revealed.
It is expected that India would push for price reductions and more ‘Make in India’ provisions as part of the agreement, according to our sources.
According to sources in the defence industry, India and France want to negotiate the Rafale-Marine sale as a unified front, much as they did when purchasing 36 Rafale fighter jets in the past.
The two parties would first discuss the terms of the agreement, and then finalise and put it into effect.
