28.04.2025 21:53
India, on the brink of war with Pakistan, signed a $7.4 billion deal with France for the procurement of 26 Rafale fighter jets. The delivery of the aircraft is expected by 2030.
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India, on the brink of war with its neighbor Pakistan, has reached an agreement with France for the procurement of 26 Rafale fighter jets.
7.4 BILLION DOLLAR DEAL
According to a statement from the Indian Ministry of Defense, India and France signed a "government-to-government agreement" worth 7.4 billion dollars for the inclusion of 26 Rafale jets into the Indian fleet in New Delhi.
DELIVERY BY 2030
The agreement, which also includes the procurement of additional equipment for the Rafale fleet of the Indian Air Force, aims to provide technology transfer for the integration of domestic weapons in the country and to establish facilities for the production of the Rafale aircraft's fuselage. Under the agreement, which is expected to see the delivery of the aircraft by 2030, the crew will receive training in France and India.
WILL ENHANCE JOINT OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY BETWEEN AIR AND LAND FORCES
It was stated in the announcement that the Rafale-Marine, produced by the French defense company Dassault Aviation and known for its high operational capability in maritime environments, bears similarities to the Rafale aircraft already in India's possession. This new agreement is expected to enhance the joint operational capability between air and land forces.
36 RAFALE WERE ALSO PURCHASED IN 2016
In 2016, India received 36 Rafale fighter jets under an 8.8 billion dollar agreement signed with France.
TENSIONS BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN
In the Pahalgam region of Jammu and Kashmir, administered by India, armed individuals opened fire on tourists on April 22, resulting in the deaths of 26 people and many injuries. India, accusing that the attackers "came from Pakistan," suspended the "Indus Waters Treaty," requested that Pakistani diplomats in New Delhi leave the country within a week, and announced the suspension of visa services for Pakistani citizens, stating that all previously issued visas were canceled.
Pakistan, rejecting the accusations, imposed restrictions on the number of Indian diplomatic personnel in Islamabad, declared that any intervention in the rivers outside the "Indus Waters Treaty" would be considered a "cause for war," suspended all trade with India, and closed its airspace.
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