Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India on April 28 signed a landmark Rs 63,000 crore Government-to-Government deal with France to buy 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets which will give added punch to the Indian Navy, amid growing security concerns over China flexing its maritime muscle in the Indo-Pacific region.
The procurement will proceed under an Inter-Governmental Agreement , ensuring direct deliveries without any intermediaries. The deal has been signed for 22 single-seater jets and four twin-seater trainers, with deliveries expected to be completed by 2031.
The signing of the agreement comes close on the heels of the final approval for the deal by the Cabinet Committee on Security’s (CCS), chaired by PM Narendra Modi, on April 9.
The 26 Rafale-M jets for the Navy, manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France , are expected to be delivered within 37 to 65 months. The delivery of all the planes is scheduled to be completed by 2030-31, a senior official said.
The Rafale procurement will include weapons, simulators, spares, associated ancillary equipment, crew training and logistics support for the Indian Navy from the French government. Besides, it includes indigenous manufacturing of components under offset obligations as part of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative,
The fighter jets will be deployed on aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, strengthening the Indian Navy’s capability to counter any threat emerging in the Indian Ocean.
The Rafale-M is a multirole fighter jet armed with long-range cruise missiles, AM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles, and the Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. It has proved its capabilities in French Navy operations and is deployed from the country’s prestigious aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
The fighter jet is equipped with Safran Group’s reinforced landing and also features folding wings, and a reinforced undercarriage to withstand rough sea conditions, deck landing, and tailhooks.
The deal will also ensure logistics support and spares for the 36 Rafale fighter jets already inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2016 under an earlier Rs 59,000 crore deal with France. These Rafale jets comprise two squadrons in the IAF.
The first Rafale squadron is based at Ambala Air Force Station. The second Rafale squadron is based at Hasimara Air Force Station in West Bengal, near the China border. The Rafale squadrons are intended to enhance India’s air power, in the eastern sector, to counter China, and also on the western front against Pakistan.
The French maritime fighter is a sturdy aircraft that incorporates design features to withstand the rough conditions involved in aircraft carrier operations in a highly corrosive environment.
The aircraft’s naval variant, Rafale-M, will bring commonality with the IAF’s fighters, creating advantages in training, maintenance and logistics support, the official said.
