India, France to begin negotiations in 26 Rafale Marine jet deal

NEW DELHI: In a significant development, contract negotiations between the governments of India and France in the over Rs 50,000 crore deal for 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets are scheduled to begin on May 30 with the arrival of a high-level French team here.

The French side would meet with Indian Defence Ministry counterparts to begin official negotiations in the fighter jet deal for the Indian Navy under which aircraft would be operated from both force-employed aircraft carriers, defence industry officials said.

The French team will include officials from their Defence Ministry and original equipment manufacturers Dassault Aviation and Thales.

The Indian side would include members from the Defence Acquisition Wing and the Indian Navy. Sources said that the government would try to complete negotiations with France and sign the agreement by the end of this financial year.

France had submitted its response to India's tender for buying 26 Rafale Marine jets for the Indian Navy's aircraft carriers - INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya in December itself. France submitted it's response to India's Letter of Acceptance in New Delhi.

The Indian side has carried out a detailed study of the French bid for the Indian deal including the commercial offer or price for the aircraft, along with other details of the contract, they said. India will now go in for tough negotiations in the deal with French government officials, as it is a government-to-government contract.

The Navy Chief has directed his team to ensure that the timeframe required for the project is squeezed significantly to ensure early finalisation and induction of the planes in the inventory.