The new jets which will come equipped with latest missiles and weapon system, giving IAF a cutting edge over arch rival Pakistan.
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With the draft of the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) now ready, the government will await the arrival of French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Thursday night.
The Rafale fighter jet would be delivered within the next 36 to 67 months in fly-away condition along with weapons, training simulator, associated equipment and Performance Based Logistics (PBL) support.
According to PTI, the deal comes with a saving of almost 750 million Euros than the one struck during the previous UPA government, which was scrapped by the Narendra Modi government.
Rafale jets will enable the air force to hit targets inside Pakistan from within India.
Meanwhile, Pakistan only has a BVR with 80 km range. During the Kargil war, India used a BVR of 50 km while Pakistan had none.
India may have just spent billions of dollars on hi-tech French fighter jets, but experts say it needs to do a lot more if it is going to face up to an increasingly assertive China.
The Indian Air Force has always been wanting to overhaul its obsolete fleet of fighter aircrafts which it procured long time back in the early 70s and 80s.
The deal could not be signed this January when French President Francois Hollande was the chief guest for the Republic Day because India wanted a better price.
The purchase of the Rafale jets, to replace part of the country’s ageing air force fleet, was first mooted in 2012 but has faced major delays and obstacles over the last four years.
A Dassault Rafale from the French Air Force flies over San Lorenzo beach during an aerial exhibition in Gijon, northern Spain, July 24, 2016.
India will pay about Rs58,000 crore or €7.8 billion for 36 off-the-shelf Dassault Rafale twin-engine fighters. The government is believed to have paid the price for about six of the jets already costing around Rs.9,000 crore, the sources added. For the entire deal inflation has been capped at a maximum of 3.5 % or current rate whichever is lowest.
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“During our time, there was some important requirements for finalising the contract: 1) 50 percent offset 2) We will purchase 18 from France and remaining 108 to be produced in India by HAL”. Moreover, the Rafale will have one and a half times greater loitering capability than the Su-30, sources said.
