Rafale To Go Desi? 80% of Fighter Jets to Be Built in India, New Delhi Pushes Localisation: Sources

India

plans to acquire 114 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force with around 80 per cent of the combat aircraft planned to be built in the country. The project would also see some of the manufacturing facilities getting shifted from France to India.The Indian side is also discussing with French officials for maximising the localised content in the deal with plans of setting up the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility within India to maximise the serviceability of the planes, government sources told ANI. The sources said the two sides will negotiate the cost of the project further. The French price offer has taken into account the inflation rate increase in prices at around four per cent per annum.

Rafale parts, systems to be built in India

Sources said that with a large number of parts and systems of the Rafales to be built in India, there is also a possibility of the French Dassault Aviation using an Indian entity for export orders and offering Indian facilities as a hub for MRO for countries in the region operating the Rafale and other Dassault aircraft.Sources said in the present circumstances, the Rafale has been found to be the best suited to meet Indian Air Force requirements for fighter aircraft, as the serviceability is around 90 per cent, which is much higher than any other aircraft in the world, including the American F-35.Also Read: India Eyes 114 Rafale Jets in Rs 3.25 Lakh Crore DealThe Indian Air Force has been pushing for the case to buy 114 Rafale fighter jets for a long time after it was selected in a multi-vendor tender.The Indian Air Force is grappling with the issue of depleting fighter aircraft squadrons and the indigenous project is also getting delayed due to issues with engines as well as integration of foreign-made equipment with the LCA Mark 1A aircraft.Already faced with two active fronts in Pakistan and China, Bangladesh is also fast becoming a security challenge. Amid this situation, the number of fighter aircraft squadrons required by the Indian Air Force is going beyond the long-accepted requirement of 42 squadrons.(With agency inputs)