India all set to buy 26 Rafale Marine from France

New Delhi:  A multi-billion dollar deal to acquire 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets for Indian Navy is all set to be sealed during Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to France. 

The Prime Minister will be in France on July 17 this year as the guest of honour at the Bastille Day parade.

As per the sources, Indian Navy has expressed its preference for the deck-based French Rafale Marine over the F-18 Super Hornets of the US. On the issue of pricing of the flying jets, they said the price is yet to be disclosed but the multi-role carrier-borne fighters will be cheaper than those the Indian Air Force bought earlier.

Sources further said, instead of taking the open tender route, they will be bought through a government-to-government deal. 

The Indian Navy has been scouting for a suitable fighter to be deployed on aircraft carrier INS Vikrant to replace its aging MiG 29Ks. 

They said its quest ended with Dassault's Rafale Marine, which has over 80% features of the IAF's Rafales. The savings that will result on account of training, repairs and maintenance due to the commonality of the fleet made the Navy prefer the French fighter.

According to the, besides fleet commonality, the Indian Navy brass was impressed by the Rafale-M's capabilities during a joint exercise and the operational demonstration test conducted in India. After the tests, the Navy informed the Ministry of Defence that Rafale-M was best suited for its needs.

The Rafale-M and Boeing's Super Hornet were locked in a dogfight to bag the Indian Navy's order

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