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Deals on more subs, Rafales likely during PM's France visit

Procurement of 26 Rafale-M jets is on the cards. File

Tribune News Service

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, July 12

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the apex decision-making body of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), is firming up four separate technology proposals.

The council is slated to meet on July 13. The proposals include making in India three additional Scorpene-class submarines, procuring 26 marine version of the Rafale fighter jets, a tie-up with engine-maker Safran for joint development and co-production of next generation of engines for fighter jets, and co-development of an engine for a 13-tonne helicopter.

The proposals are expected to come up when PM Modi meets French President Emmanuel Macron.

Source said the three Scorpene submarines would be made in India under the existing project to make six of these subs as a joint venture between Mazagon Dockyards Limited (MDL) and the Naval Group France.

The sources said the procurement of 26 Rafale-M jets — capable of taking off and landing on aircraft carriers — is on the cards. The Indian Air Force already has 36 Rafale jets.

Also, the French Government has an offer to work with India to develop a twin-engine deck-based fighter for the Indian Navy. The DRDO is working on the design of the plane. At present, the Navy flies MiG-29K jets sourced from Russia on board its two carriers — INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant.

French engine-maker Safran has offered to make a new 110-kilonewton engine in India. The 6th-generation advanced multi-role combat aircraft (AMCA) will be powered by the engine. It will be more powerful than the General Electric 414 that the US is offering to make in India for the Tejas series of jets.

The French offer consists of a new engine with supply chain and manufacturing at an Indian location. This will include a gas turbine technology centre. Lastly, Safran and HAL have already inked a workshare agreement for the development of the engine for the 13-tonne Indian Multi-Role Helicopter and its naval variant Deck-Based Multi Role Helicopter (DBMRH).

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Tribune News Service

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