India, France Ink Deal for 36 Rafale Fighter Jets
India and France deal for 36 Rafale Fighter Jets
- India and France (23.09.2016) inked the deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets. The deal was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian.
- The aircraft will be equipped with latest missiles and weapon system. The 7.8 billion Euro deal is crucial for the Indian Air Force and is expected to give India the dominant status in the air.
Features Rafale Fighter Jets
- The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon is its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Meteor air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 150 kilometre.
- During the Kargil war, India had used a BVR having 50 kilometre range.
- The delivery of this aircraft will start in 36 months and will be completed in 66 months from the date the contract is inked.