India signs Rs 63000 cr Rafale jet deal

PrashantNews

Amid heightened border tension, India on Monday signed a mega Rs 63,000 crore deal with France to buy 26 Rafale Marine aircraft for the Indian Navy, officials said.

During the agreement, the Indian side was represented by defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, where Navy vice chief admiral K Swaminathan was present.
The deal, which comes amid the heightened tension between India and Pakistan, was cleared by the cabinet committee on security earlier this month.

The jets will primarily operate from the deck of the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The government-to-government contract for the 22 single-seat Rafale-M jets and four twin-seat trainers includes some weapons, simulators, crew training and five-year performance-based logistics support.

Under the terms of reference, the delivery of the jets will have to start around five years after signing of the contract.