India, France sign deal to acquire 26 Dassault Rafale naval fighters
After months of negotiations, the governments of India and France, together with aircraft manufacturer Dassault, have signed a 630 billion rupee ($7.4 billion) deal to acquire 26 Rafale M fighters, the naval variant of the supersonic jet.
The deal will involve supplying 22 single-seat and four dual-seat Rafale fighters to operate aboard the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
The two countries had previously announced a preliminary agreement in July 2023, but the contract has been pending since then.
India will be the second operator of the Rafale M, which currently flies only aboard the French Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
The aircraft beat the Boeing F/A-18E/F, which had been adapted to demonstrate ramp takeoff capability, a requirement of the competition.
The Indian Navy currently operates the MiG-29K, a naval variant of the Russian fighter, but it has shown below-expected performance.
However, the UAC aircraft is expected to remain in service aboard the Navy’s older aircraft carriers.
No date has been given for when deliveries of the Rafale to the Indian Navy will begin.
“On behalf of Dassault Aviation and its partners, I would like to thank the Indian authorities, with whom we have been working for more than 70 years, for their confidence in us and reaffirm our unwavering determination to stand by their side to contribute to India’s expression of its sovereign power, its strategic challenges and its ambitious vision of the future,” said Dassault CEO Éric Trappier.
About the Author
Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
