India signed on Friday a Rs 59,000-crore deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons and equipped with latest missiles that will give India greater “potency” over arch rival Pakistan.
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In June, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had stated that the number of the fighter jets were “on path of coming to conclusion”. Actually, now the Air Force needs more strength.
It took 17 months of prolonged negotiation for the deal to go through, after PM Modi announced India’s intention to buy 36 Rafales directly from France in a government-to-government deal in April 2015.
A Dassault Rafale from the French Air Force flies over San Lorenzo beach during an aerial exhibition in Gijon, northern Spain, July 24, 2016. “Unfortunately we do not make critical technologies in India” says Luthra.
The order has been stuck in negotiations with two successive governments over the cost of the planes, as well as Dassault’s refusal to guarantee the performance and quality of the planes that were originally to be assembled by India’sHindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
Besides other features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of the IAF is the Beyond Visual Range Meteor air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 150 KM.
“We have been wanting 4 plus generation aircraft for a long time”.
Unlike the previous French offer, the initial PBL support in the current procurement is of 5 years, with an option to extend by 2 more years for an amount already committed by the French side. Inclusion of these requirements in the deal has led to a three-year waiting period to receive the first aircraft.
More than 10 years after India made a decision to purchase another line of fighter jet for the Air Force, the Indian government today inked the deal for 36 Rafale fighter planes with France. The Rafale deal is crucial for Indian Air Force which is witnessing a rapid drawdown in its combat squadrons.
Citing the complaints of several leaders regarding the high price of Rafale jets, Antony said, “That time, I received a series of complaints from many responsible quarters, including from former finance minister Yashwant Sinha about the price”, he said. In contrast Su-30 fleet has an operational availability between 55-60 percent.
The agreement, which includes the option of buying 18 additional Rafales, also incorporates a 50 per cent offset clause, under which Rafale manufacturers Dassault will invest half the contract value in India’s domestic defence industry.
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The French jets are expected to arrive by 2019 with all 36 delivered within six years.
