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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Although the deal is 750 million Euros lighter than it would have been in the UPA era, the Rafale deal is what it is, a mere stepping stone.
These combat aircraft, delivery of which will start in 36 months and will be completed in 67 months from the date the contract is inked, comes equipped with state-of-the-art missiles weaponry that will give IAF a capability that had been sorely missing in its arsenal.
The last combat jet to be purchased by India was Su-30 MKI from Russian Federation, but the French Rafale will now be the prized possession with an array of impressive weapons that include Meteor Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air and Scalp air to ground cruise missiles.
However, Pakistan later acquired 80-km-range BVR, but now with “Meteor”, the balance of power in the air space has again tilted in India’s favour. Scalp, an air-to-ground cruise missile with a range in excess of 300km, will also gives the IAF an edge over its adversaries. Defence officials said that the Meteor has a superior range than anything available in the region.
Associate supplies for the 36 fighter jets will cost about 1800 million Euros while performance based logistics will cost about 353 million Euros.
Sources said that Rafale can take five sorties in a day, more than the aircraft now in use. According to Dassault, it is capable of carrying out all combat missions: air defence, interception, ground support, in-depth strikes, reconnaissance, anti-ship strikes and nuclear deterrence.
The Indian Rafale will be built from scratch as several modifications will have to be made to accommodate features ordered by India. He wanted to know whether the inter-governmental agreement which has been negotiated and the commercial contract which has been signed either do not have an “Options Clause” or have a ‘Part Options Clause?’.
Hollande again pushed the deal on a visit to India in January, when he was Modi’s guest for Republic Day celebrations, but officials privately acknowledged that price had become a sticking point.
On Thursday, Parrikar had said that the two sides were yet to arrive at a decision on pricing.
The deal was finalised after over an year of negotiation on cost.
The Defence Ministry has capped the European Inflation Indices to maximum 3.5 per cent a year. The Thales India headquarters is located in New Delhi, and it has other operational offices and sites at Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai.
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Addressing a press conference along with party spokesman Manish Tewari at the AICC headquarters, Antony lamented that the idea of “Make in India” which was there in the original plan has also “gone” in the present deal.
