While formal offer was presented by the French side in December, the current round of negotiations will finalise the price, weapons package, maintenance terms and delivery timelines for the aircraft.The Navy has been keen to finalise the deal at the earliest to equip its latest INS Vikrant aircraft carrier with the cutting-edge fighters that can carry more lethal weapons, engage targets at longer distances and fly much longer than the current MiG 29K fleet of Russian origin.
The acquisition of Rafale Marine fighter jets was cleared by the Defence Procurement Board in July last year, days ahead of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Paris. At the same time, the acquisition of three additional Scorpene submarines to be made in India was also cleared. Contract negotiations for that submarine deal are currently underway.The acquisition fighters will meet immediate and critical requirements of the Navy for carrier borne combat aircraft and will have an advantage of commonality with 36 Rafale jets already in service with the Indian Air Force.The jets will be manufactured to India-specific standards and will have several indigenous systems as well, including weapons and communication. The acquisition is being seen as a stop-gap solution till the development of an indigenous carrier-borne fighter jet. The development of a Twin-Engine Deck-Based Fighter is currently underway but is expected to take close to a decade to be operational.
