Editor's Pick: As PM flies to Paris, India approves plan to buy 26 Rafale-M jets

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Paris, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded approval on Thursday for the procurement of 26 Rafale-M fighters, which will be operated off aircraft carriers, and three additional Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines from France. “The DAC granted acceptance of necessity [AoN] for procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft, along with associated ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and logistic support for the Indian Navy from the French government based on Inter-Governmental Agreement [IGA],” a Defence Ministry statement said. The price and other terms of purchase will be negotiated with the French government and integration of Indian-designed equipment and establishment of a maintenance, repair and operations hub for various systems will be incorporated into the contract documents after due negotiations, the Ministry said. The DAC granted the AoN for procurement of three additional Scorpenes under the Buy (Indian) category. The submarines will be constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders. An indigenous twin-engine deck-based fighter is under development by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to operate off the aircraft carriers. Six Scorpene submarines are being built under Project-75 by the MDL under technology transfer from Naval Group under a $3.75-billion deal signed in 2005 and is almost complete. The 26 Rafale-M fighters will include 22 single-seater jets and four twin-seater trainers, defence officials said. However, the Rafale trainers are not carrier-compatible. In March, the Navy chief, Admiral R. Hari Kumar, said both Boeing’s F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and Dassault Aviation’s Rafale-M fighters met the requirements of the Navy and a selection between them was a decision for the government. Rafale-M, he said, had commonality with the Indian Air Force. The jets to be procured will fill the gap in the interim period as the existing MiG-29Ks may not last till then. The Navy currently operates two aircraft carriers — INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, which was commissioned last September. Previously, India had acquired 36 Rafale aircrafts for ₹59,000 crore - the deal for which was signed in 2016. The Hindu’s Editorials Work in progress: On the GST Council meet and issues Reflective pause: On NATO and Ukraine The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz How many Lok Sabha seats are there in the State of Assam? 14 28 11 20 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 14 July 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( As PM flies to Paris, India approves plan to buy 26 Rafale-M jets As [Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Paris]( the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded approval on Thursday for the [procurement of 26 Rafale-M fighters]( which will be operated off aircraft carriers, and three additional Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines from France. “The DAC granted acceptance of necessity [AoN] for procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft, along with associated ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and logistic support for the Indian Navy from the French government based on Inter-Governmental Agreement [IGA],” a Defence Ministry statement said. The price and other terms of purchase will be negotiated with the French government and integration of Indian-designed equipment and establishment of a maintenance, repair and operations hub for various systems will be incorporated into the contract documents after due negotiations, the Ministry said. The DAC granted the AoN for procurement of three additional Scorpenes under the Buy (Indian) category. The submarines will be constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders. An indigenous twin-engine deck-based fighter is under development by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to operate off the aircraft carriers. Six Scorpene submarines are being built under Project-75 by the MDL under technology transfer from Naval Group under a $3.75-billion deal signed in 2005 and is almost complete. The 26 Rafale-M fighters will include 22 single-seater jets and four twin-seater trainers, defence officials said. However, the Rafale trainers are not carrier-compatible. In March, the Navy chief, Admiral R. Hari Kumar, said both Boeing’s F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and Dassault Aviation’s Rafale-M fighters met the requirements of the Navy and a selection between them was a decision for the government. Rafale-M, he said, had commonality with the Indian Air Force. The jets to be procured will fill the gap in the interim period as the existing MiG-29Ks may not last till then. The Navy currently operates two aircraft carriers — INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, which was commissioned last September. Previously, India had acquired 36 Rafale aircrafts for ₹59,000 crore - the deal for which was signed in 2016. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Work in progress: On the GST Council meet and issues]( [Arrow][Reflective pause: On NATO and Ukraine]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz How many Lok Sabha seats are there in the State of Assam? - 14 - 28 - 11 - 20 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. [Sign up for free]( [[Hyderabad | The city of cars has no space for pedestrians] Hyderabad | The city of cars has no space for pedestrians]( [[Big-ticket defence deals likely during PM Modi’s Paris visit] Big-ticket defence deals likely during PM Modi’s Paris visit]( [[Chandrayaan-3 | What it takes to soft-land on the moon] Chandrayaan-3 | What it takes to soft-land on the moon]( [[Fraudulent mobile loan apps: The dark debt trap] Fraudulent mobile loan apps: The dark debt trap]( Copyright @ 2023, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( Manage your newsletter subscription preferences [here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](