French Defence Minister Jean-Yves le Drian will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar next week in New Delhi to carry forward the 36 Rafale fighter jets deal announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Paris. The deal is expected to be over $6 billion wherein India will buy these jets in flyaway condition through a Government to Government contract.
The French Defence Minister is likely to hold the talks on Monday next after a day’s stop-over in Goa to witness the ongoing joint naval exercises between India and France, officials said here on Thursday. The two Ministers will explore ways to speed up the firming up of the deal after Modi and French President Francois Hollande on April 11 agreed to conclude and the inter-Governmental agreement.
This agreement means that the French Government will stand guarantee for the timely delivery of the aircraft manufactured by French aviation company Dassault and other contractual obligations.
The deal will have an offset clause wherein the French company will invest 30 per cent of the total cost of the contract in Indian defence industries be it private or public sector to boost indigenous manufacturing capabilities.
The joint statement by Modi and Hollande also said the delivery would be in time-frame that would be compatible with the operational requirement of IAF, and the aircraft and associated systems and weapons would be delivered on the same configuration as had been tested and approved by IAF, and with a longer maintenance responsibility by France.