Breaking news
India will finalize MMRCA Dassault Rafale deal before March 2014.
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World
Air Force News - India - Rafale |
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| India will finalize MMRCA Dassault Rafale deal before March 2014. | |||
India
will finalise a $15 billion (deal estimation is between 12 and $20 bn)
deal to buy 126 Rafale fighter jets from France's Dassault Aviation by
March 2014, an Indian air force official said on Thursday, after the deal
had been held up by differences over local manufacturing. |
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 Dassault Rafale C single seater (photo credit: Dassault Aviation) |
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| Dassault is in exclusive talks with the Indian government to provide 126 jet fighters after its selection in 2012 against the Eurofighter Typhoon in the final selection round and other contenders in the first part of the tender. Talk have been reported stalled last week with the death of the principal MMRCA contract negociator. Air Marshal S. Sukumar, deputy chief of air staff, told an aerospace conference the deal would be signed within the current financial year, according to a statement issued by conference organiser, the Confederation of Indian Industry. Under the deal, Dassault is expected to send 18 ready-made jets and would manufacture the rest in India. Hindustan Aeronautics will be its lead partner. Dassault had earlier expressed doubts about the ability of the local partner to make such a sophisticated fighter. Hindustan Aeronautics has been developing a light combat aircraft since the early 1980s with no success so far. A spokesman for Dassault declined to comment. The French company is still hoping to finalise the deal by the end of the 2013. For the moment, India would be the first export order for the French company; France (Armée de l'Air / French Air Force and Aéronavale / Navy) is the sole operator of the Dassault Rafale. |
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