Jet Rafale-M. File. , Photo credit: Dinakar Peri
India and France are ready to formally announce the closure of approximately 63,000 GBP-Crore agreements for 26 Rafale fighter aircraft on Monday (April 28, 2025), and confirmed the official sources.
With an earlier planned visit to French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecorn in India with a signature postponed for personal reasons, both ministers are now remotely established.
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“The G-to-G agreement was signed by the French Minister and will be signed by India, India, Thierry Mathou and Defense Minister Rajesh Kumar Singh,” said the sources. Some government agreements will be signed for the ceremony for business, they will add resources.
A visit to the French Defense Minister was postponed the day before the terrorist attack of Pahalgam and had nothing to do with the current situation, the sources said.
Six years van
As the Hindi previously said, the nozzle delivery will start in about three and a half years as soon as the contract is signed and will be completed in about six and a half years. The agreement is for 22 single -seat nozzles that can control aircraft carriers and four double -seat nozzles that are not compatible with the carrier. The Indian Air Force already operates 36 Rafale aircraft acquired under the 60,000 GBP agreement signed in September 2016.
The Navy currently operates two aircraft carriers-ins Vikramaditya acquired from Russia and the indigenous Ins Vikrant, which was shown in September 2022. Rafale-MS is to fill the gap in numbers until the gap in the numbers is filled.
The Indian aircraft carriers use ski jumping and cables to start aircraft using a tail hook. The elevators (used to move aircraft) were built on board Indian carriers to suit the Russian Russian MiG-29K nozzles. This would require minor modifications of Rafales to be accommodated on extracts.
Published – April 25, 2025 20:39
