India has approved a plan to buy and jointly manufacture 114 French Rafale fighter jets in a multibillion-dollar deal that will plug critical gaps in its air defenses.
The South Asian country’s military procurement board, headed by the ministry’s top bureaucrat and which decides on major purchases, has approved a proposal to buy planes from Dassault Aviation, according to senior officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private.
India’s defense ministry and air force did not immediately respond to requests for comment after business hours.
The purchase would be a significant upgrade for India’s air force, whose fleet of fighter jets, mostly of Russian origin, is shrinking. In 2015, India canceled a deal to buy 126 Rafale fighter jets from France after years of negotiations over quality assurance issues for the Indian-made planes.
French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to visit India next month, Indian media reported.
Although Russia remains India’s largest arms supplier, New Delhi has reduced its purchases of military equipment from Moscow over the past few years. A Dassault press representative declined to comment.
Several steps remain before the final contract is signed and deliveries begin, including price negotiations and final approval by the federal cabinet, Bloomberg reports.
(Vijesti.ba/Fena)
