Skip to main content

France offers India 36 Rafale fighters for IAF at the same rate as its own air force



France is offering India 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition at the same price which it pays to French defence major Dassault Aviation to equip its own air force, defence sources said.They added that the final pricing will depend on the specific requirements that India seeks from France and how the negotiation goes forward.

The said offer is in keeping with the joint statement issued during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to France where he announced the intention to buy 36 Rafales off the shelf.

“The two leaders (Modi, French President Fracois Hollande) agreed to conclude an inter-governmental agreement for supply of the aircraft on terms that would be better than what is conveyed by Dassault Aviation as part of a separate process underway,” the statement had said.

The “separate process” was the MMRCA tender which had been stuck for years over pricing and other issues.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had met with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday following which the two sides decided to form special teams that will work in a time-bound manner to conclude negotiations. Defence sources said the teams will work out the finer details of the deal, including the pricing.

They also questioned the possibility whether the deal may have an offset clause, saying it would be difficult if the pricing for Indian aircraft remains the same as that for the French air force.

As per industry experts, the price of a Rafale to French air force works out to anywhere between $200-220 million.

“If we take the lowest value of $200 million, it will work out to around Rs 1,240 crore per aircraft. Even if we increase it to Rs 1,300 crore, it would be a better price than earlier,” sources said.

The price per aircraft not only includes its own cost but also that for maintenance, training of pilots and technicians, armaments and spares.

Qatar has recently signed a deal worth over $7 billion for 24 Rafale jets. This includes MBDA missiles and the cost for the training of 36 Qatari pilots and 100 technicians. The value of each aircraft thus comes to over $290 million.

Asked if that price would be acceptable to India, the sources said it would have been “very expensive”.

Modi has said that the aircraft and associated systems and weapons would be delivered on the same configuration as had been tested and approved by Indian Air Force, and with a longer maintenance responsibility by France.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LCA-Tejas : Cleared for Export, DRDO and IAF to Work together in exploring possibilities

After been Cleared for Export by Ministry of Defence with firm backing of Indian air force which too has given its blessing, DRDO is working on exploring possibilities to hard sell its indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas to prospective buyers from overseas in 2016 on wards. Sources close to the programme told idrw.org that after formal list of defence items which can be exported has been endorsed by the ministry of defence, which also included LCA-Tejas, DRDO and IAF are working on plans to work together in exploring potential buyers for the aircraft. DRDO believes that long-delayed LCA-Tejas project which is finally inching towards its final FOC Certification and at the price point of around 30 $ million equipped with Modern Radar, digital fly-by-wire system, flight control systems and open architecture computer, LCA-Tejas can be easily termed among best aircraft currently in its type. Earlier in Aero India 20015  held in India many Prospective buyers...
2 comments
Read more

Indian Army To Conduct 13 Day Long Military Exercise With Russian Counterpart From August 1

  Indian Army on Tuesday confirmed that India and Russia will jointly conduct a 13-day mega military exercise 'Indra 21' emphasizing on counter-terror operations  in the Russian city of Volgograd from August 1. They also mentioned that successful completion of the 12th edition of the exercise will be nothing short of touching another "milestone" in intensifying the bilateral security cooperation and will also serve to reinforce the longstanding bond of friendship between India and Russia. The Army said 250 personnel from each side will participate in the 12th edition of the joint military exercise. "The 12th edition of Indo-Russia joint military exercise Indra-21 will be held at Volgograd, Russia from August 1 to 13," the Army said. It said the exercise will entail the conduct of counter-terror operations mandated under the UN's framework of joint forces against international terror groups. "Exercise Indra-21 will further strengthen mutual confidenc...
Post a Comment
Read more

Type 096 submarine can attack US homeland from China's coast

The Type 096, China’s third-generation nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, has given the PLA Navy the means to strike the continental United States from the Chinese coast for the first time, according to the Singapore-based Lianhe Zaobao. China is estimated to have four Type 094 Jin-class second-generation ballistic missile submarines. Together, those four submarines can carry 48 JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missiles and 200 nuclear warheads, which is 35% of China’s nuclear arsenal. With an attack range of 6,000 kilometers, the JL-2 missile’s threat to American forces is confined to the Western Pacific. China is developing Type 096 Tang-class ballistic missile submarines to replace the Type 094 by 2020, according to a study from the Moscow-based Russian Military Analyst. By then, the PLA Navy is looking to have at least six Type 094 and Type 096 submarines operational. It will control 80 submarine-launched ballistic missiles with about 300 nuclear warheads. The ne...
Post a Comment
Read more