New Delhi. India on July 10 decided to procure 26 naval variant of Rafale fighter jets and three additional Scorpene submarines for the Indian Navy. Formal announcement for these defence procurements are expected to be announced during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Paris next week.
PM Modi is the guest of honour at the Bastille Day event on July 14, the French National Day when Indian military contingent will take part in the marchpast on the street on the street around the iconic Champ de’ elysee .
Ahead of the visit, the Defence Procurement Board is understood to have moved the proposal, which the Indian Navy is keen on. The proposal, is expected to come up before the Defence Acquisition Council in due course, for clearance and is for procurement of 22 single-engine aircraft and four trainer aircraft.
Currently, India’s two aircraft carriers — INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya —operate onboard the Russian MIG-29 aircraft. According to published reports, the Indian Navy conducted test flights of the Rafale-M aircraft at its Goa land based facility.
As for the conventional submarines, the Navy is keen to augment its platforms. The current programme through which the six Scorpene class submarines were built at the Mazagaon Docks, Mumbai is nearing completion. The French authorities claim the country is among the few that permitted transfer of technology.
Meanwhile, PM Modi received Emmanuel Bonne, the Diplomatic Advisor to President Emmanuel Macron, at his official residence on July 10. “Looking forward to meeting with my friend President Macron in Paris on Bastille Day. The India-France Strategic Partnership holds great significance for global good”, PM Modi said in his tweet.
