India and France signed the Euro 7.87-billion deal for Rafale fighter jets. Following are the highlights of this deal:
1. These jets are equipped with latest missiles and weapon system besides multiple India-specific modifications that will give the IAF cutting edge capability over arch rival Pakistan.
2. The deal was signed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his visiting French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian.
3. The deal comes with a saving of nearly 750 million Euros, gained through hard negotiations by the Indian side, besides a 50 per cent offset clause.
4. The 50 per cent offset clause means that Indian businesses, both big and small, will gain work to the tune of over three billion Euros.
5. These combat aircraft, delivery of which will start in 36 months and will be completed in 66 months from the date the contract is inked, comes equipped with state-of-the-art missiles like ‘Meteor’ and ‘Scalp’ that will give IAF a capability that had been sorely missing in its arsenal.
6. The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of IAF include its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Meteor air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 150 km.
7. Its integration on the Rafale jets will mean IAF can hit targets inside both Pakistan and across the northern and eastern borders while staying within India’s territorial boundary.
