India Is Negotiating Vigorously With France To Secure A Better Deal For The Rs 50,000 Crore-plus Rafale Marine Jets Contract.
India is negotiating aggressively to secure a better price during ongoing talks with France for the purchase of 26 Rafale Marine jets in a deal anticipated to exceed Rs 50,000 crore. The second round of negotiations between India and France began on Monday and is expected to continue for the next 10-12 days, according to defense sources quoted by ANI.
The French offer, estimated to be over Rs 50,000 crore for the complete contract including weapons, is under scrutiny by the Indian side, which is seeking a more favorable price, sources said.
The French proposal includes packages for integrating Indian weapons on the fighter aircraft, such as the Astra air-to-air missile, India-specific enhancements, landing equipment for operations from aircraft carriers, and other related equipment, sources noted.
During trials, the French demonstrated the Rafale aircraft’s landing and take-off capabilities from Indian aircraft carriers, but additional equipment for real-time operations will also be part of the package for India to purchase, sources added.
India aims to use the previous deal for 36 Rafale planes for the Indian Air Force as the baseline for this naval deal, adjusted for inflation costs agreed upon in the prior agreement. Naval twin-engine jets are typically more expensive than their air force counterparts due to the additional capabilities required for sea operations, including specialized landing gear for arrested landings on carriers.
Price and other related issues for the 26 Rafale Marine fighter aircraft have been under negotiation since around June 12. The French delegation for the talks includes officials from their Directorate General of Armament.
The aircraft will be operated from Indian Navy aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. As planned, the Indian Navy will base these aircraft at INS Dega in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
France submitted its response to India’s tender for the 26 Rafale Marine jets for the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya in December last year.
