India-France defence cooperation set to grow
French Minister for Defence Jean-Yves le Drian's recently concluded visit to India is expected to give a boost to defence cooperation between the two countries in a variety of areas. But the most eagerly awaited news remains the yet-to-be-clinched deal for the 126 Rafale medium multi-role combat aircraft of Dassault Aviation, for a whopping $15 billion. Mr le Drian raised the issue with Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar when the two met on December 1, and has in an exclusive interview to The Pioneer expressed confidence that the agreement for the supply/manufacture of the fighter plane would soon be finalised. Paris is naturally keen on an early resolution, given that Rafale's competitors worldwide are breathing down the neck, making tantalising offers to the Defence Ministry in a bid to yet swing the deal in favour of their product. As for the Indian Air Force, it is eager that the matter be resolved at the earliest, as it cannot afford longer delays in securing combat aircraft. New Delhi had chosen in 2012, in principle, the Rafale, based on a series of evaluations. However, since then the suspense over the signing of the agreement has remained, with claims and counter-claims over the effectiveness of the aircraft vitiating the atmosphere. One senior foreign envoy even went to the extent of remarking that the Rafale “would be swatted like flies” in a war situation. The merits or otherwise of the various MMRCA are, of course, for the experts to deliberate upon and to opine on what is best for India's defence preparedness. One assumes that the Rafale was short-listed after due diligence. That being the case, the Governments of both countries must move quickly to finalise the deal. Obstacles such as cost issues and the nitty-gritty of manufacturing in India in collaboration with Dassault, the bulk of the aircraft to be ordered, should be resolved soon. long delays cast a shadow on the robust relations between the two nations — relations which will further advance if the Rafale deal gets inked.
Defence cooperation between India and France had also hit a rough patch over the supply of Scorpene submarines. While things seem to be moving finally here, with the first Scorpene to be delivered in late 2016, the deal had got mired in many controversies, leading to delays in meeting the Indian Navy's requirements. The Navy is in dire straits; it has just 13 diesel-electric submarines that can best be described as near-Jurassic. Only half of these are operational at any given point in time. Way back in 1999, the then Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government at the Centre had cleared an ambitious 30-year plan for the construction of state-of-art submarines, some indigenously and others with foreign collaboration. Fifteen years down the line, not one of the 24 submarines planned has been inducted. The last 10 years were catastrophic for the Indian defence sector; it's time to undo the damage.