India commands 26 additional French Rafale hunters – Liberation

It is an order that was in the boxes For a long time, and in particular a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in France in 2023. India signed with France an agreement for the acquisition of 26 burst combat aircraft, produced by the Dassault Aviation group, intended for its war of war, the Indian Ministry of Defense said on Monday, April 28. The amount of the new order is $ 7.4 billion (6.5 billion euros), according to the Indian Defense Ministry.

This contract is added To a first already spent with India in 2016 For the delivery of 36 Rafale. This had been quantified at $ 9.4 billion (8.3 billion euros).

« This contract follows the announcement, in July 2023, of the selection of the Rafale Marine, of which the Indian Navy will be the first user outside France, after an international consultation »said Dassault Aviation in a press release. « It confirms the satisfaction of the Indian authorities as to the capacities of the plane and their desire to widen the spectrum of its operational use », The aeronautical manufacturer also welcomes.

Before asserting that « This new acquisition testifies to the importance of the strategic relationship between India and France, and recognition of the burst as an essential vector of national sovereignty ”.

The Rafale is a so -called multi -operator fighter, capable of carrying out air defense, recognition or bombing missions. It is also the vector of French nuclear deterrence. It has been used by the French navy since 2004 and the Air Force since 2006, which currently has 165 aircraft, including 41 for the marine version on a aircraft carrier. The plane has sold 285 copies to seven countries since 2015: in Qatar (36 copies), India (36), Egypt (55), Greece (24, including 12 used), Emirates (80), Indonesia (42) and Croatia (12 used devices).

The announcement of this new order comes at a time when India and its neighbor Pakistan are on the war foot Since the attack that killed 26 people last week in Indian cashmere. New Delhi attributed responsibility to Islamabad, who categorically rejected it. India has become the world’s leading importer in arms in recent years, according to the International Peace Research Institute in Stockholm.