The Central Government announced on July 15 a selection of Rafale fighters to equip the Indian Navy with the advanced combat jets.
According to French aerospace company, Dassault Aviation, 26 Rafale fighters for the Indian Navy will add to the 36 advanced fighters that are already in service. “This decision comes after a successful trial campaign held in India, during which the Navy Rafale demonstrated that it fully met the Indian Navy’s operational requirements and was perfectly suited to the specificities of its aircraft carrier,” Dassault Aviation said.
“This selection confirms the excellence of the Rafale, the exceptional quality of the link between Dassault Aviation and the Indian Forces, and the importance of the strategic relationship between India and France,” it added.
India’s Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, granted Acceptance of Necessity for the procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft for the Indian Navy on July 13.
Defence Acquisition Council, which held a meeting here on July 13, also granted the Acceptance of Necessity for the procurement of three additional Scorpene submarines under the Buy (Indian) category, which will be constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). The three Scorpene submarines to be built will have Indigenous Air Propulsion Systems.
A Defence Ministry release informed that the Acceptance of Necessity for Rafale Marine aircraft had been approved along with associated ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and logistic support for the Indian Navy from the French Government, based on Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA).
It said the price and other terms of purchase would be negotiated with the France Government after taking into account all relevant aspects, including comparative procurement price of similar aircraft by other countries.
Further, the integration of Indian-designed equipment and establishment of a Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) Hub for various systems will be incorporated into the contract documents after due negotiations.
The release said the Defence Acquisition Council also approved the proposal to lay down guidelines for achieving the desired indigenous content in all categories of capital acquisition cases.
“It will help in achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in critical manufacturing technologies and life-cycle sustenance of defence platforms and equipment through indigenous manufacturing,” the release said.
The proposals were approved by the Defence Acquisition Council meeting attended by Defence Minister Rajanth Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan and the three services chiefs and senior officials, defence officials told the media.
The Navy has been pressing for acquiring these fighter aircraft and submarines urgently as the force has been facing shortages in view of the security challenges around the country.
Out of the twenty-six Rafales, four of them are training aircraft which has two seats. The other twenty-two fighter aircraft will be single-seaters. The three Scorpene Submarines will be a part of the Indian Navy’s Project 75.
The Indian Navy has been facing a shortage and dearth of fighter aircraft and submarines in recent years and has emphasised the urgent need to meet their requirements. The Indian Navy will use these aircraft for its two powerful aircraft carriers notably, INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. Currently, the Indian Navy operates the MiG-29K aircraft for its naval aviation unit.
One squadron of the Rafale (eighteen jets) will be stationed in INS Vikrant, and the rest will be kept as reserves in Goa.
India is also likely to seek price concessions in the deal and would be insisting on having additional Make in India content in the plan, sources said. The order of the three Scorpene submarines and the Dassault Fighter Aircraft will not only add muscle to the Indian Navy to take up the challenge posed by the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in the Indian Ocean.
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