India and France signed a long pending contract to acquire 36 Rafale fighters by India, ending a four year old negotiations between the two sides.
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India signed an agreement Friday with France’s Dassault Aviation for the acquisition of 36 Rafale fighter jets.
The aircraft will be equipped with latest missiles and weapon system.
The 7.8 billion euro deal is crucial for the Indian Air Force that is grappling with a draw down of its fighter fleet.
The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of IAF, which is now down to 34 squadrons as against a sanctioned strength of 44, includes its beyond visual range Meteor air-to-air missile with a range of 150 km.
During the Kargil war, India had used a BVR having 50-km range while Pakistan had none.
The first aircraft will be delivered within 36 months, with the remaining 35 aircraft to be supplied in 60 months, according to defence ministry officials. It is also trying to boost defence manufacturing in India against the backdrop of the growing assertiveness of China in the region and tense ties with Pakistan.
France also agreed to free of charge storage of weapons and additional warranty for six months and India was able to obtain French commitment for increase in the industrial support from earlier 40 years to 50 years. “Rafale will significantly improve India’s strikes & defense capabilities”, Parrikar tweeted.
The procurement of Rafale jets was first initiated in 2012. “Scalp”, a long-range air-to-surface bomb with a spread in more than three hundred metric linear unit, conjointly offers IAF a position over its adversaries. each missiles have a a pair of metres exactness which suggests that a target is hit with high exactness. Apart from the aircraft, the U.S. $ 8.7 billion (approx Rs 58,000 crore) deal includes weapons, spares, support and maintainance, and customised tweaks as demanded by the IAF, like the integration of Israeli helmet mounted displays.
The Rafale aircraft has the capacity to strike targets in Pakistani soil even while flying within the Indian airspace.
India will be paying around Rs 1,611 crore for each of the jets.
Insisting that India got a good bargain, they said the 7.8 billion Euros include a package of advanced weapons like BVRS, precision guided weapons, radars and better detection and survival features. “Make in India” is gone”, he alleged. This forced both the countries to just sign an MoU in January, when French President Francois Hollande came, announcing their intention to sign an IGA.
Citing the complaints of several leaders regarding the high price of Rafale jets, the Congress leader said, “That time I received series of complaints from many responsible quarters including former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha about the price”.
Defense analysts say that the 36 Rafales will not help the military a great deal as it requires around 200 fighters to replace the aging MiGs.
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Friday’s deal is a substantial reduction from the 126 planes that India originally planned to buy, but is still the biggest-ever foreign order of Rafale fighters.
