New Delhi: In a significant development, contract negotiations between the governments of India and France for the Rs 50,000-crore deal for 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets is scheduled to begin on 30 May with the arrival of a high-level French team.
The French side would meet with Indian Defence Ministry counterparts to begin official negotiations in the jet deal for the Indian Navy under which aircraft would be operated from both aircraft carriers operated by the force, defence industry officials told ANI.
The French team will include officials from their defence ministry and industry including original equipment manufacturers Dassault Aviation and Thales, the officials said.
The Indian side would include members from the defence acquisition wing and the Indian Navy.
Sources in the government said they would try to complete negotiations with France and sign the agreement by the end of this financial year.
In December, France had submitted its response to India’s tender for 26 Rafale Marine jets for the Navy’s aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya. The response to India’s Letter of Acceptance was submitted in New Delhi.
The Indian side has carried out a detailed study of the French bid for the Indian deal including the commercial offer or price for the aircraft, along with other details of the contract, they said.
India will now go in for tough negotiations with French government officials, as it is a government-to-government contract.
The Navy Chief has directed his team to ensure the timeframe required for the project was squeezed significantly to ensure early finalisation and induction of the planes in the inventory.
This report is auto generated from the ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.