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Ahead of the visit by French President Emmanuel Macron in the third week of February, the Defence Ministry of India is likely to discuss the Rs 3.25 lakh crore proposal to buy 114 Rafale combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force.
The Indian Air Force proposal was given the initial nod by the Defence Procurement Board last month. "The proposal is likely to be taken up for discussion next week at a high-level meeting of the defence ministry and is seen as critical for meeting the operational requirements of the Indian Air Force in view of the present security scenario in the region," defence sources told ANI. The Indian Air Force is currently operating only around 30 fighter aircraft squadrons, whereas its sanctioned strength is 42 squadrons. With increasing collusion between Pakistan and Bangladesh, and Pakistan and China, the threat perception has now gone up further. The project is expected to help the Indian Air Force to meet its requirement for a 4.5-generation-plus multirole fighter aircraft for a long time. About 80 per cent of the 114 Rafale fighter aircraft proposed to be acquired under the deal are planned to be manufactured in India. Sources said that the Indian Air Force is going to get 88 single-seater and 26 twin-seater aircraft under the project, of which the majority would be built in India with the collaboration of Dassault and Indian private sector companies. Once the deal gets completed, the Indian Air Force will have a fleet of 150 Rafales, along with 26 of the Indian Navy, which will have an aircraft carrier-compatible version of the French planes. The French President is expected to be in Delhi for the AI summit on February 18. (ANI)
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