India, France ink Rs 64,000-crore deal to acquire 26 Rafale-Marine jets

Manufactured by French defence main Dassault Aviation, the Rafale-Marine is a carrier-borne combat-ready plane with confirmed operational capabilities within the maritime setting.

The deal has been signed three weeks after the Cupboard Committee on Safety (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the procurement.

The defence ministry mentioned the Rafale-Marine has commonality with the Rafale being operated by the Indian Air Pressure (IAF).

The IAF acquired 36 plane from Dassault Aviation after India and France signed an inter-governmental settlement (IGA) in September 2016.

Nevertheless, there have been allegations of value inflation, modification of specs and kickbacks, as reported within the media, and the Opposition events, led by the Congress, had sought an unbiased probe into the deal. A number of petitions have been filed within the Supreme Court docket in search of readability on the deal. Nevertheless, on 14 December 2018, the Court docket upheld the Rafale deal, stating that no proof of “industrial favouritism” had been discovered.

With PTI inputs