Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France on July 13-14 will set a new milestone for cementing bilateral ties between the two nations as India's Ministry of Defence gave the initial nod to acquire 26 Rafale fighter aircraft and three Scorpene submarines from France.
The proposals are now lined up for approval from the defence acquisition council, the country's top procurement body, and then from the government cabinet.
Modi is said to sign the acquisition of 26 Rafale-Marine fighters for INS Vikrant and three additional Scorpene class submarines that would be built at Mumbai's Mazagon Dockyards, during his visir. A potential collaboration for 100 percent technology transfers for jet engine technology, which powers Indian advanced light helicopters, will likely be announced.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh will chair a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council on July 13 to proceed with the inter-governmental agreement (IGA) for the acquisition of the fighter jets from France .
The procurement of the fighter jets will likely be channelled through a government-to-government deal instead of taking an open tender route. This is being done to save time and simplify the entire procurement process.
Modi has been invited as the Guest of Honour to attend the Bastille Day Parade in France, where a contingent of the Indian military with troops from the Army’s Punjab Regiment, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force is gearing up to participate.
The Indian Navy, looking for procurement of deck-based fighter jets for its indigenously-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, had reportedly narrowed down on Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet and French aerospace major Dassault Aviation's Rafale-M aircraft, after a long evaluation. The Rafale-M emerged the clear winner in the tight race.
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India has already procured 36 Rafale jets from France for the Indian Air Force and they are India's first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 years after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia.
The latest follow-on order of the three Scorpene submarines is also another significant development for further bolstering the country's defence sector. Earlier, six Scorpene submarines have already been manufactured in India.
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Notably, US-based Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornets (Block III) fighters were also in the race to secure the Indian contract. The Modi cabinet's decision to acquire from France, however, reflects the government’s efforts to fortify engagements beyond Washington. India last purchased 36 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force in 2015 for about €7.9 billion.
The latest Indo-French defence deal is being seen as France's effort in further closing in on Russia - India’s biggest weapons supplier traditionally. It is to be noted that Moscow has been slowing down deliveries due to sanctions for its war in Ukraine. India has two-squadrons comprising 18 Russian-made MiG-29K fighters each, based on INS Vikramaditya — its second aircraft carrier.
The defence ministry is also in talks with French defence major Safran for joint development of a fighter jet engine in India to power the country's next-generation aircraft, including the futuristic Advance Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
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