50,000 crore Rafale Marine Jet: French team to reach today; benefit for Kochi-built INS Vikrant as well

KOCHI: India's move to buy 26 Rafale Marine Jet Fighter aircraft from France is at a critical juncture. A French team will reach New Delhi today for the next round of negotiations related to the half lakh crore rupees deal. The Rafale jets, which take off from aircraft carriers, will also benefit from the new aircraft carrier INS Vikrant being built in Kochi for the Navy. The Navy has decided to deploy the Rafale Marine aircraft on INS Vikramaditya along with Vikrant.

The first Rafale deal that led to huge controversies was in 2016. These were the kind that took off from air bases. 39 Rafales were purchased for the Air Force at a cost of 59,000 crores. The defense department moved ahead with the second phase of the Rafale deal after the cases and allegations were settled. The Defense Acquisition Council, chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, gave its in-principle approval ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France on July 13 last year. France then issued a letter accepting India's request. This week's high-level discussion is a continuation of this.

The representatives of the French government, Dassault, the fighter aircraft manufacturer, and Thales, the weapon system integrator, are now coming to Delhi for negotiations. The decision in the negotiations will be considered by the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Security Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister. After approval, there will be a final government-level discussion and agreement between India and France. Officials clarified that it will take time to finalize matters including the amount.

Reply to China's threat

The main objective of buying Rafale marine jets is to counter China's threat in the Indian Ocean. China has begun trialling naval warplanes from warships Fujian, Liaoning and Shandong.

Weapons along with Rafale

India will buy 22 single-seat marine jets and four twin-seat jets. The package consists of ancillary weapons, simulators, spare parts, crew training and logistics.