New Delhi: India’s proposed purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition, announced by Prime Minster Narendra Modi in Paris last month, will be top on the talks agenda between Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his visiting French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian here on Wednesday.
The formal discussions on purchase of Rafale will be as per the India-France Joint Statement issued during Modi’s visit to France last month. In the statement, India conveyed to France that in view of the critical operational necessity for multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) for the IAF, the government of India would like to acquire 36 Rafale jets. Both sides agreed to conclude an Inter-Governmental Agreement for supply of the aircraft on terms that would be better than conveyed by Dassault Aviation as part of a separate process underway, the delivery would be in time-frame that would be compatible with the operational requirement of IAF; and that the aircraft and associated systems and weapons would be delivered on the same configuration as had been tested by IAF, and with a longer maintenance responsibility by France, Parrikar said. (IANS)
