Rafale deal with France cements strategic tie-up

The Defence Acquisition Council, today okayed a major acquisition – the purchase of 114 Rafale jets from French plane maker Dassault—setting the tone for a long drawn strategic tie-up. The DAC also okayed an additional six surveillance planes the, US-made Boeing P8-I, for the Navy, Scalp missiles for fighter jets and the new-technology High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS). The DAC, the apex decision making body of the Ministry of Defence, chaired by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met today and accorded ‘acceptance of necessity (AoN) for proposals of the services at an estimated value of about Rs 3.60 lakh (approx $ 39 billion), the MoD said. The payment schedule will be spread across several financial years and AoN is the first step towards the acquisition process. #Rafale #IndiaFrance #DefenceDeal #StrategicPartnership #IndianAirForce #France #MilitaryNews #DefenseNews #IndiaNews #AirForce #RafaleJets #BreakingNews #GlobalSecurity