It turns out Livefist had it right back in January. Top sources say the governments of India and France will shortly announce a deal for 60 Rafale fighters for the Indian Air Force. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently in France.
Well, what do you know: I’d written about the ‘half-MMRCA’ (60 Rafales) possibility in January this year. http://t.co/Q2UOPGQdFY
— Livefist (@livefist) April 10, 2015
The deal, to be announced later this evening, is expected to be for 63 Rafales at a contract price of about $7.7 billion.
Expected between 9-10 pm, formal word on the Rafale deal from Paris. Outright purchase of 3 squadrons (63 fighters), scrapping old process.
— Manu Pubby (@manupubby) April 10, 2015
Story in motion. Live updates right here.
Just do it …
you are astrologer Shiv.
About time.
Buy more through same process if the need arises in future. AMCA will take a while.
This is what happens when backbone does not exist!
It will be better to assume that France has put an embargo on the fighter and wake up Indian industry to join hands and come good with LCA and future variants. Except for the engine, most other aspects can be achieved in next 3-5 years.
36 aircraft in fly-away condition!
Its not 60 but 36 and rest to be make in India.
going very good so far, this is the end of the MMRCA! Our PM will make India great. Remember President Obama agreeing to sell EMALS technology for Aircraft Carriers. If you are smart enough you will understand what goes with that?? That is what our PM is doing getting the best technology in the world to build aircraft carriers which will/must have ASW helicopters, UAVs, E-2D Grumman AEW, and the F-35B or C so that is where is cash is going to go, to the F-35 and a powerful Indian Navy with 5Carriers! Believe it or not!
My view is 36 Rafale is it. There is no incentives for France now to budge on the 108 to be locally manufactured, so I bet this portion of the negotiation will go nowhere, and a few years from now technology has moved on to render the 108 irrelevant in any case. Near term, India will use the 108 portion to extract the Rafale price for 36 delivered based on assumption of a potential larger volume.
No mention of MAITRI SR-SAM. Looks like that have lost out on the deals table. Next stop Germany – any prizes for guessing what deal Modi's going to sign there, now that the Euro fighters are off the table 🙂 ?
My bet would be on the Airbus A-330 MRTT.
very nice, a deserved slap to HAL
kab tak assemble karte rahoge …. kuch sikho from ISRO …..
Country demands from HAL, ADA & DRDO to start working and get themselfs free from IAS, Weapon & Political lobby
This also shows no more, PSU's economic terrorism
Lets not get too carried away. All that yesterday's announcement amounts to is that instead of buying 18 jets in fly away condition IAF will get 36 to make up for delay in the ongoing MMRCA negotiations. Note that no contract has been signed yet. The price for these 36 jets have to be negotiated and is being done as part of MMRCA program.
Shiv what it means direct buying of rafale
I want to meet all the traitors who denigrate Indian efforts in developing domestic solutions in aeronautics against all odds in my lifetime when using the same amount of money Indian platforms will surely defeat Imported platforms. It has already happened or is soon going to happen for the Indian Navy.