India gives LoR to France for buying 26 Rafale-M fighter jets for Navy

NewsBharati 28-Oct-2023 23:38:24 PM

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In a momentous milestone, India has sent the French government a Letter of Request for the acquisition of 26 Rafale Marine fighter aircraft for the Indian Navy under a government-to-government agreement.

The Letter of Request was given to the French government a few days ago, and they are anticipated to make a decision on the Indian request and answer in the near future, according to top defense sources.

According to them, the LoR is similar to a tender document in which the Indian government specifies all of the specifications and capabilities that it wants in the Rafale Marine aircraft being procured for the aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya.

The Indian Navy and the Indian government are moving quickly to guarantee that the procurement contract is finalized as soon as possible and that Indian ships can operate the highly competent aircraft to give New Delhi an advantage in the Indian Ocean area.

The defense acquisition council approved the aircraft contract for around Euro 5.5 billion soon before the Indian Prime Minister's travel to France as the state guest for their Bastille Day parade this year in July.

According to the plan, the Indian Navy would receive 22 single-seat Rafale Marine aircraft as well as four trainer aircraft.

The aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and Vikrant have been using MiG-29s and require Rafales to operate on both.

As part of the French package, India would want the integration of its indigenous missiles, notably the Astra air-to-air missile.

The aircraft's configuration is likely to be identical to that delivered to the Indian Air Force.

Source : ANI