India gives initial nod to buy French Rafale jets, submarines
NEW
DELHI, July 13 (Reuters) - India's defence ministry has given initial
approval to purchase 26 Rafale fighter jets for its navy and three
Scorpene class submarines, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
arrival in France, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.
Modi began a two-day visit to Paris on Thursday to deepen ties
with New Delhi's oldest strategic partner in the West, with a slew of
high-profile defence deals expected and a new joint plan to ensure
stability in the Indo-Pacific.
The
Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council, the apex body for military
capital procurements, granted the approvals earlier in the day.
The deal will cover the purchase of 26 Dassault Aviation (AM.PA)
Rafale fighter jets, including four trainers, and three Scorpene class
submarines to be built by India's Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MAZG.NS) and France's Naval Group, two sources familiar with the details told Reuters.
The
total value of the purchases is expected to be around 800 billion
rupees ($9.75 billion), according to one of the sources. The government
did not provide any cost figures, saying the prices are yet to be
negotiated.
In
the past few years, Modi has ramped up spending to modernise the
military, while underlining his government's commitment to boosting
domestic production to supply forces deployed along two contentious
borders with Pakistan and China.
Earlier this year, the government proposed a 13% hike in defence spending to 5.94 trillion rupees for the 2023-24 financial year.
The
ageing fleet of India's Russian-made platforms, Moscow's inability to
perform maintenance work, and delays in India's indigenous manufacturing
plans for parallel platforms have necessitated the two new defence
deals.
The
marine version of Dassualt's Rafale jets, intended for India's first
indigenous aircraft carrier commissioned last year, outperformed the
American Superhornet F18s in tests last year for Indian requirements.
Singh
said in a tweet that the "price and other terms of purchase will be
negotiated with the French Government after taking into account all
relevant aspects, including comparative procurement price of similar
aircraft by other countries".
India
has relied on French fighter jets for four decades now. Much before
buying Rafale in 2015, India bought Mirage jets in 1980s, which still
comprise two squadrons of the air force.
In
2005, India bought six Scorpene-class diesel submarines from France for
188 billion rupees ($2.29 billion), the last of which will be
commissioned next year.
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