NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande agreed on a $9-billion deal to supply the Indian Air Force with 36 French-built Rafale multirole fighters in April. Initially India planned to buy 126 Rafale jets to modernize its air force.
"Keeping the dwindling effective squadrons strength in view, the Indian Air Force has undertaken a massive upgrade programme of its fighter and transport Aircraft. To give thrust to this programme it has immediately gone for procurement of 36 Rafale Aircraft on government to government sell which includes 50% offsets that will help our medium and small scale industries in the aviation sector," the statement reads.
The Rafale is a French fourth-generation multirole twin-engine fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation.
