In a surprise deal, India has asked France to supply 36 Dassault Rafale fighter jets in fly away condition to arrest the dwindling Indain...
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his French visit on Friday asked French Hollande to supply two squadrons of Rafale jets worth around $4 billion. The deal has now become a government-to-government deal rather than with Dassault.
The deal comes when India and France is negotiating a $ 20 billion MMRCA deal for 126 Rafales, in which 18 was to be supplied in fly away condition and the remaining 108 to be license built in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd with transfer of technologies.
The MMRCA deal has hit a roadblock as France was reluctant to take responsibility for the 108 license built Rafales and over sharing critical technologies.
The MMRCA deal envisioned to be a springboard for modernisation of Indian defense industry with 50 percent content being made in India, now does not have any transfer of technology clause.
Currently, Indian Air Force squadron strength is down to 34 where as it requires 44 squadrons to fight a two front war with China and Pakistan.
The Indian deal is the second one won by Dassault this year after the Egyptian order for 24 Rafales, which was the first export order for Rafale.
