India soon to Own "Rafale Fighter Jets"

Rafale Fighter Jet 

French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius has landed in the capital to close a stalled deal, to close deal of 126 Rafale fighter jets for Rs. 100,000 crores, built by Dassault Aviation.

The French minister will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley, who holds the twin portfolios of Defense and Finance. Now the government has to decide whether to go ahead with committing to the Rs. 100,000-crore contract, with a plan to spend the money over a decade.

Three technical committees have signed off on how transfer of technology and maintenance of the combat jets should be handled in the contract. A fourth committee that is looking at the overall costs needs the green-light from the government.


Cost escalations and disagreements about building the Rafale in partnership with India's state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited have complicated talks with France, and London has never entirely given up hope that it will return to the race.

India spent some $6 billion last year on weapons imports. It makes few of its own weapons, beyond ballistic missiles and assembly lines for foreign jets.