New Delhi: India and France Friday signed the euro 7.87 billion (`59,000 crore) deal for Rafale fighter jets, equipped with the latest missiles and weapon system besides multiple India-specific modifications that will give the IAF greater “potency” over arch rival Pakistan.
The inter governmental agreement was signed by defence minister Manohar Parrikar and his visiting French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian 16 months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s plans to buy 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in fly away condition during his trip to France.
The ‘vanila price’ (just the aircraft alone) will cost about euro 91 million each for a single seater and about euro 94 million for a two seater trainer aircraft.
“Pleased to inform that India has signed an agreement for procurement of 36 Rafale aircraft with weapon systems, five years complete spares and maintenance, performance based logistics, India specific special provisions. This is an achievement that will give the IAF the required potency in terms of penetration and capability,” Parrikar said at the South Block.
The deal, the first fighter plane contract in 20 years, comes with a saving of nearly euro 750 million, gained through hard negotiations by the Indian side, over the one struck during the previous UPA government, which was scrapped by the Narendra Modi government, besides a 50 per cent offset clause.
The offset clause means that Indian businesses, both big and small, will gain work to the tune of over euro 3 billion.
These combat aircraft, delivery of which will start in 36 months and will be completed in 66 months from the date the contract is inked, comes equipped with state-of-the-art missiles weaponry that will give IAF a capability that had been sorely missing in its arsenal.
The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of IAF include its beyond visual range (BVR) Meteor air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 150 km.
Its integration on the Rafale jets will mean IAF can hit targets inside both Pakistan and across the northern and eastern borders while staying within India’s territorial boundary.
Defence ministry sources said the Rafale, which has a range of 780 to 1,055 km, depending on mission role, as compared to 400-450 of the Su30, will be better than what even the French uses as it will have numerous India specific additions.
Press Trust of India