Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, July 13: The French Rafale jet’s proposed procurement of 26 aircraft was approved by the Defence Ministry on Thursday, according to those with knowledge of the situation.
The project was approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which is presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on the day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi departs for a two-day trip to Paris.
The DAC, the highest decision-making body for procurement in the defence ministry, also approved a plan for the construction of three more Scorpene submarines in India.
Following extensive discussions between Prime Minister Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday in Paris, the big defence projects are anticipated to be unveiled.
The projects received the DAC’s sanction about a week after the Defence Procurement Board (DPB) gave its nod.
26 deck-based fighter jets are needed by the Indian Navy for the indigenously-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
The Navy had finally settled on the F/A-18 Super Hornet by Boeing and the Rafale M by French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation after a protracted selection procedure.
The lethal jet’s naval version, the Rafale-M, eventually won the close competition.
For the Indian Air Force, India has already purchased 36 Rafale aircraft from France.
