According to a statement from the Indian defense ministry, India and France reached an agreement on Monday to purchase 26 Rafale fighter planes for the Indian navy for 630 billion rupees ($7.4 billion).
In an agreement that would strengthen India’s defense relations with its second-largest arms supplier, the ministry announced that India will purchase 22 single-seater and four twin-seater fighters manufactured by France’s Dassault Aviation (AM.PA).
“The delivery of these aircraft would be completed by 2030, with the crew undergoing training in France and India,” the ministry stated, adding that the agreement is anticipated to create thousands of jobs and bring in a fortune for numerous companies.
According to Reuters, India’s security cabinet, which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the purchase earlier this month.
While the navy’s aircraft inventory primarily consists of Russian MiG-29 jets, the Indian Air Force now deploys 36 Rafale fighters.
In order to provide forces stationed along its two tense borders with China and Pakistan, India is working to modernize its military, lessen its reliance on equipment of Russian provenance, and increase domestic weapons manufacture.
With Beijing deploying dual-purpose ships in the Indian Ocean and keeping a military facility in Djibouti since 2017, the Indian navy has highlighted China’s increasing influence in the region over the past ten years.
It also represents a further step in India’s long-standing reliance on French military equipment, such as the Scorpene-class submarines procured in 2005 and the Mirage 2000 planes purchased in the 1980s.
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