Work is being done rapidly on planning to purchase 114 new Rafale fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force. Meanwhile, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh is going on a three-day tour to France. During this, Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh will meet officials of Rafale aircraft manufacturing company Dassault Aviation. During this time, possible deals and technical aspects can be discussed. According to sources, India may soon issue a formal letter of request for the purchase of 114 fighter aircraft.
This deal is considered very important for strengthening the combat capability of the Indian Air Force. At present, the Indian Air Force has two squadrons of Rafale aircraft in service, which are deployed at Ambala and Hashimara airbases. The purchase of 114 new fighter aircraft is part of the much-awaited MRFA (Multi Role Fighter Aircraft) project of the Indian Air Force.
These 4.5 generation modern multirole aircraft will be purchased for the Indian Air Force (IAF). According to defense sources, the government has prepared the Letter of Request (LoR) for this purchase. It is expected that it will be sent to France in a few weeks. LoR is an official document, after which the process of formal negotiations and deal starts. The total value of this deal is said to be around Rs 3.25 lakh crore.
Preparation to make 90 fighter jets in India
Under this deal, about 90 out of 114 Rafale fighter planes will be manufactured in India. These aircraft will be made in collaboration with French company Dassault Aviation and an Indian company under Make-in-India. The remaining 24 aircraft will come to India from France in ready condition. The share of indigenous (Indian) parts in all these aircraft is expected to be around 50%. Apart from the deal for 114 Rafale jets, the Indian Navy is also separately purchasing 26 Rafale marine jets.
The agreement for this deal was signed on April 28 last year. The IAF already operates 36 Rafale aircraft purchased under an inter-governmental agreement in September 2016.
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