India, France ink Rs 64,000-crore deal to procure 26 Rafale-Marine jets

India and France on Monday, 28 April, inked an intergovernmental agreement to procure 26 naval variants of Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 64,000 crore for the Indian Navy.

According to the defence ministry, a production facility for Rafale fuselage and maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities for aircraft engines, sensors and weapons will be set up in India.

The agreement will also facilitate transfer of technology for the integration of indigenous weapons in India, according to the statement by the ministry.

The ministry said the delivery of Rafale-Marine aircraft would be completed by 2030, with the crew undergoing training in France and India. India is procuring the jets for deployment on board aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

Manufactured by French defence major Dassault Aviation, the Rafale-Marine is a carrier-borne combat-ready aircraft with proven operational capabilities in the maritime environment.

The deal has been signed three weeks after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the procurement.

The defence ministry said the Rafale-Marine has commonality with the Rafale being operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The IAF acquired 36 aircraft from Dassault Aviation after India and France signed an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) in September 2016.

However, there were allegations of cost inflation, modification of specifications , as reported in the media, and the Opposition parties, led by the Congress, had sought an into the deal. Several petitions were filed in the Supreme Court seeking clarity on the deal. However, on 14 December 2018, the Court upheld the Rafale deal, stating that no evidence of "commercial favouritism" had been found.

With PTI inputs