The Indian Ministry of Defense has tentatively approved the purchase of 114 French Rafale fighters from Dassault Aviation for $39 billion, according to CNBC and AeroTime. The decision was made ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to the country on February 17.
18 aircraft will be delivered directly from the Dassault factory, and the remaining 96 will be produced in India under license. The new fighters should close a critical shortage of aircraft: the Indian Air Force has only 29 squadrons with a minimum requirement of 42.
Rafale fighters were used by India in the recent conflict with Pakistan — one aircraft was lost in a battle with Chinese J-10s, but this did not affect New Delhi's decision to make a new purchase.
Earlier, India refused to license the production of Russian Su-35 generation 4++ fighters. According to Military Watch Magazine, the country considered the technological gap between the Su-35 and the already in service Su-30MKI insufficient for such large investments. Instead of purchasing new aircraft, it is planned to deeply modernize the existing Su-30MKI fleet and accelerate the implementation program for the fifth-generation Su-57 fighters.
As CNBC notes, India also intends to modernize Soviet-made T-72 tanks and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles.
Read more materials:
- The Middle East is Interested in Su-35 Fighters
- Su-35 Fighters Enter Service with an African Country
- Su-57 Criticized in India and Called a "Loser" Aircraft
Now on home
Specialists also created a heat-resistant muzzle brake-compensator for automatic weapons
Kurchatov Institute is working on the new product
The amount of payments was indexed for the bankrupt German concern in Russia
The M1.1 flare lasted 48 minutes in sunspot group 4373
The three-car train with a range of 725 km will form the basis of a pilot project in Sakhalin
Russian soldiers also use the Verba MANPADS against drones
New scheme saves tons of fuel
The specialist shared the history of the 2000 contract, which overcame fierce competition
The third vessel in the series with a 52-meter hold for oversized cargo was built for Caspian routes
The missile reaches a speed unattainable for air defense systems
Among the models presented are Belarus 152, Belarus 2022.3, and Belarus 3522
Rosoboronexport is ready to help organize the production of combat vehicles in India