IAF chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh has arrived in France for a four-day visit to accelerate the Rafale deal, as the defence ministry issued a Letter of Request (LoR) to Paris for the procurement of 114 multirole 4.5-generation fighter jets. The deal is estimated to be worth around Rs 3.25 lakh crore.
Visit and Meetings
During his visit, the IAF chief will meet senior officers in the French military and is expected to hold talks with executives of Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale jets. He will also visit the Dassault facility and likely meet with executives of missile manufacturer MBDA.
Letter of Request Details
“The LoR was issued last week by the acquisition wing of the defence ministry to French officials,” a source told TOI. The LoR is a formal government-to-government document used to initiate major defence acquisitions under international frameworks.
Prime Minister Modi is expected to visit France around mid-June, and the Rafale deal is likely to be discussed during his talks. France is expected to reply to India’s LoR in two to three months. The final contract, expected by year-end, will be signed after final price negotiations and approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
Indigenous Manufacturing Plans
Under the proposed deal, 90 to 94 of the 114 jets are planned to be manufactured in India through a partnership between Dassault Aviation and an Indian firm. The remaining aircraft are expected to be delivered in fly-away condition.
