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India signed a deal with France on Monday to buy 26 Rafale Marine fighter aircraft for the Navy, said the defence ministry. The jets will be procured at a cost of around Rs 64,000 crore, according to PTI.
New Delhi will buy 22 single-seater aircraft and four twin-seater jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation.
“The delivery of these aircraft would be completed by 2030, with the crew undergoing training in France and India,” stated the ministry, adding that the deal is expected to generate thousands of jobs and revenue for a large number of businesses.
The deal includes transfer of technology to India, setting up of a Rafale fuselage production unit and maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities for engines, sensors and weapons in the country, the ministry said.
The Rafale Marine is an aircraft carrier-borne fighter jet.
The Indian Air Force currently operates 36 Rafale fighter aircraft. The deal to procure them was signed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government in 2016 at the cost of Rs 58,000 crore.
The Congress had accused the Narendra Modi government of corruption. The Centre has denied the allegations.
The Opposition party also alleged that the Union government had helped a defence firm owned by industrialist Anil Ambani land a major contract under the deal even though it had no experience in the sector. Ambani has denied the allegations.
In its statement on Monday, the Ministry of Defence noted that the procurement of the jets “will substantially enhance joint operational capability, besides optimising training and logistics for the aircraft for both Indian Navy and Indian Air Force”.
‘Mediapart’ investigation
In 2021, investigative journalism website Mediapart reported that France’s financial prosecutor, Parquet National Financier had decided against pursuing an anti-corruption investigation into the 2016 India-France Rafale deal despite anti-corruption non-government organisation Sherpa flagging irregularities in 2018.
In a three-part report, Mediapart had claimed that an Indian middleman was secretly paid millions of euros by Dassault Aviation and French defence electronics firm Thales to influence the Rafale deal. The middleman is also an accused in the VVIP helicopter scam.
These payments were on top of a contract with Dassault for making replica models of Rafale jets that have never been seen, worth 1 million euros.
Despite being aware of the allegations, the PNF and India’s Enforcement Directorate did not initiate investigations into the matter, Mediapart reported.
Sherpa, which specialises in financial crime, had filed an official complaint for alleged corruption and “influence peddling”, among other accusations, after Mediapart published its investigation.
The complaint led the PNF to designate an investigating magistrate to look into the deal.
In December 2023, Mediapart reported that the Indian government was refusing to comply with a request for international cooperation made by French judges in the matter.
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