Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Amid escalating tensions with Pakistan, India has signed a USD 7.4 billion (Rs. 63,000 crore) deal with France on Monday to buy 26 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Navy, the media reported.
The crucial deal is part of India’s efforts to modernize its military, reduce dependence on Russian-origin equipment, and boost domestic weapons production to supply forces deployed along two contentious borders with Pakistan and China.
The Union Cabinet, at its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had approved the deal earlier this month.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) currently operates 36 Rafale fighters, while the Navy’s aircraft fleet mainly comprises Russian MiG-29 jets.
The Indian Navy has flagged China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean over the past decade, with Beijing operating dual-purpose vessels in the region and maintaining a military base in Djibouti since 2017.
It also marks another step in India’s long-standing reliance on French military hardware, including Mirage 2000 jets bought in the 1980s and Scorpene-class submarines ordered in 2005.
