NEW DELHI: India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved proposals for the purchases of French Rafale jets and submarines on Thursday.
However, the DAC said that the price and other terms still had to be finalized with the French government.
It said in a statement that the discussions over the long-awaited agreements would take into account all aspects, including comparative procurement rate of similar aircraft by other nations, according to French media.
The naval version of Dassault’s Rafale planes are intended for New Delhi’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant, which was commissioned in 2022.
New Delhi was already purchasing 6 Scorpene submarines and the statement said 3 additional vessels would be made with higher indigenous content by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDS) near Mumbai, creating considerable job opportunities in the domestic sector.
Despite differences over the Russia-Ukraine war and tensions over human rights in India, Western countries are courting Narendra Modi and the world’s most populous country to contain China.
India is one of the biggest buyers of French weapons, with Modi announcing a landmark agreement for thirty-six Rafale fighter jets during a visit to Paris in 2015 that was worth around $4.24 billion at the time.
