The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed an agreement with the French government to acquire 26 Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft worth US$7.4 billion for the Indian Navy.
The Intergovernmental agreement (IGA) signed on 28 April provisions for 22 Rafale M single-seat and four twin-seat Rafale trainer aircraft, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
The contract includes training, simulators, associated equipment, weapons, and performance-based logistics. It also comprises additional equipment for the Indian Air Force (IAF) 36-strong Rafale EH/DH fleet.
Also included in the deal is the establishment of a production facility to locally manufacture Rafale fuselages, maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO) facilities for aircraft engines, weapons, and avionics, as well as a transfer of technology (ToT) to integrate domestically produced weapons with the Rafale M.
The MoD added that delivery of the 26 aircraft will be completed by 2030, with training to be conducted in France and India. Once the naval aircraft are delivered operationalised, India will be the first international user of both air force and naval Rafale variants.
The Indian MoD released a Request for Information (RfI) in 2017 seeking 57 Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighters (MRCBF) for Indian Navy carrier operations. The number of aircraft required was subsequently reduced from 57 to 26, with the Dassault Rafale M shortlisted alongside the Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet.
It is understood that four of the 26 Rafales will be twin-seat DH trainer variants and will be operated from the shore, while the remaining 22 single-seat combat aircraft variants are expected to be deployed onboard INS Vikrant.
The Indian Navy presently operates the Russian-made MiG-29K, which are deployed aboard both INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. The ageing aircraft have faced a range of technical issues as well as operational incidents since their induction and are seen to have poor serviceability and reliability.
by Jr Ng
