India, France sign Rs 63,000 crore deal for 26 Rafale-M aircraft
The Governments of India and France signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for the procurement of 26 Rafale Aircraft (22 single-seaters and four twin-seaters) for the Indian Navy, the Ministry of Defence said on Monday. It includes training, simulator, associated equipment, weapons and performance-based logistics along with additional equipment for the existing Rafale fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the French Minister of Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecornu signed the pact. The signed copies of the agreement, aircraft package supply protocol and weapons package supply protocol were exchanged by Indian and French officials in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh at Nausena Bhawan in New Delhi.
In line with the government's thrust on Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the agreement includes transfer of technology for integration of indigenous weapons in India. It also includes setting up of production facility for Rafale Fuselage as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities for aircraft engine, sensors and weapons in India. The deal is expected to generate thousands of jobs and revenue for a large number of MSMEs in setting up, production and running of these facilities.
Manufactured by France's Dassault Aviation, the Rafale-Marine is a carrier-borne combat-ready aircraft with proven operational capabilities in maritime environment. The delivery of these aircraft would be completed by 2030, with the crew undergoing training in France and India. Rafale-Marine has commonality with the Rafale being operated by IAF.
For the Navy's fighter jet deal, the competition was between Boeing's F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and Dassault Aviation's Rafale-M. While both fighters had met the Navy's requirements, the Rafale-M had common spares and support as the Rafale jets operated by the Indian Air Force.
The Rafale jets, which were acquired after the Balakot aerial strike, have added to the Indian Air Force's firepower. The 36 Rafael fighter jets have been stationed in India's strategic air bases bordering Pakistan and China. The two sides have always prioritised co-production, co-development of military hardware with a focus on India's self-reliance goals.
In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that has killed 26 people including 25 Indians, French President Emmanuel Macron had called up PM Modi on Thursday and 'conveyed his personal condolences on the brutal killing of innocent people in the heinous terror attack in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir'.
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