Rafale Faces Global Scrutiny as France Pushes Back Against Combat Loss Claims
A high-stakes battle over modern airpower credibility France is defending the Rafale fighter’s global reputation after disputed combat-loss narratives linked to India-Pakistan tensions triggered worldwide debate over modern air combat effectiveness, missile technology, and future fighter procurement decisions. The Rafale fighter jet has become the center of an unusually intense global defense debate after renewed claims surrounding alleged aircraft losses during India-Pakistan aerial tensions pushed France’s flagship combat aircraft into the …
How Rafale Fighter Jets Fare Against the Chinese PLAAF Jets ?
As Group Captain Harkirat and his boys land the latest fighting machines at Ambala, five in all, two twins seaters (RB series) and three single-seaters (BS series), they propel the IAF to another level of air fighting capability, one which would enhance itself with the acquisition of all 36 Rafales and associated weaponry in the near future. An interesting trivia about IAF fighters is that, Russian fighters generally come in huge crates and are assembled in India whereas most ‘western’ fighters are flown in, from the OEM country. This…
Five Rafales Likely To Join Fleet By July End: Indian Air Force
New Delhi: The first batch of five Rafale jets are likely to arrive in India from France by July end, the Indian Air Force said. The aircraft will officially be inducted on July 29, it said in a statement, adding aircrew and ground staff have been extensively trained to operate the technologically advance fighters. "The first batch of five Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale is likely to arrive in India by end July 2020. The aircraft will be inducted at Air Force Station Ambala on 29 July subject to weather. No media coverage is planned o…
Indonesia: Wants to buy Austria’s entire Typhoon fighter fleet
MELBOURNE, Australia — Indonesia has expressed interest in acquiring Austria’s fleet of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, in yet another surprise defense procurement plan from the southeast Asian country. Indonesia’s defense minister, Prabowo Subianto, wrote a letter to his Austrian counterpart, Klaudia Tanner, seeking to initiate negotiations to buy all 15 Typhoons belonging to the Austrian Air Force. In his letter, which was published by Indonesian news outlets, Prabowo said the potential purchase will assist in his aims to continue …
India, France Agree to Finalize Rafale Deal by Spring
NEW DELHI — India will fast-track the finalization of the US $12 billion plan to purchase 126 Dassault Rafale jets, according to a senior Indian Defense Ministry official, almost three years after India made Dassault its preferred bidder. The news follows Monday evening talks between India n Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his visiting French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian. The India n MoD official refused to give details on how the two sides will resolve differences holding back the finalization of the negotiations in the…
Airbus Group Sells Part of Its Stake in Dassault Aviation
AMSTERDAM — Airbus Group , in an off-market block trade, has sold to Dassault Aviation 810,072 Dassault Aviation shares at a price of €980 (US $1,224) per share, representing a total of about €794 million pre-transaction costs, according to an Airbus Group statement. The French state has agreed to waive its rights under the shareholder agreement with Airbus Group, which provides in particular a right of first offer to its benefit, for this block trade, which represents approximately 8 percent of Dassault Aviation ’s share capital, a…
French Defence Minister ask to hold Rafale talks with India for Now
Today, With final negotiations over the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal for purchase of 126 Rafale fighter aircraft remaining inconclusive, the issue will figure prominently when French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian holds talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar on Monday. “The MMRCA deal will be part of the discussions,” said Defence Ministry officials as France is eager to conclude the deal by early next year. As per the terms of contract, the first 18 jets come in fly-away condition from France withi…
Delayed FGFA Deal May Get The Nudge During Putin’s India Visit
India and Russia may finally settle on a number of delayed defense deals including the Fifth Generational Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India this December. Putin met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the BRICS summit in July where both leaders reportedly agreed that the $30 billion program to build 200 jets should move forward. In 2010, a preliminary design agreement was signed between India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and Russia’s Sukhoi Design Bureau to …
Airbus and Tata team up to bid for Indian Air Force planes
NEW DELHI: Europe's Airbus and Tata Sons have bid for a multibillion-dollar contract to replace the Indian Air Force's ageing fleet of Avro cargo planes, as New Delhi looks to boost the role of the local private sector in modernizing its armed forces. Under the bid, estimated by analysts to be worth at least $2 billion, Airbus's Defence and Space unit and Tata's Advanced Systems would replace the 56 Avro jets with Airbus's C295 transport planes, the European manufacturer said on Tuesday. Airbus would supply th…
The 'miscellaneous' blunder in India's Rafale deal
Dassault Aviation's Rafale won the bid to supply the Indian Air Force with 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft. The multi-billion dollar 'deal of the century' has since languished over price negotiations. Rahul Bedi explains how 'miscellaneous' factors have posed a major hurdle in negotiating the Rafale deal. There is a delicious, albeit hugely expensive, irony involving the ongoing negotiations to procure 126 Dassault Rafale fighters that, in some aspects, parallels the purchase of six French Scorpene submarines…
India Considers Buying 126 Eurofighters From Germany
MOSCOW, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - India may acquire 126 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft from Germany, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported Monday. Indian and German officials are once again negotiating a multibillion-dollar deal for the delivery of 126 German-made fighter jets to India, the agency reported, citing German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. India and Germany previously discussed a similar deal, but India decided against the Eurofighter jets in 2012 and chose to acquire French-produced Dassault Rafale combat air…
Mistral row: France risks losing Rafale contract in India
France risks losing a contract to supply 126 fighter jets to India due to its refusal to deliver Mistral-class ships to Russia, a leading French analyst told the Delovoi Peterburg website. French officials said this week that they will not deliver the first Mistral-class amphibious warship that Russia had ordered as part of a $1.7 billion agreement for weapons sale. The biggest repercussion would be a loss of reputation for France as a reliable supplier, Arnaud Dubien, a Russia research associate at the Institut de relations Internatio…
India's Rafale Fighter Jet Deal in Final Lap, Awaits Government's Nod
The Indian Air Force or IAF may lose its traditional conventional edge against Pakistan if the contract to buy 126 Rafale medium multi-role combat aircraft or MMRCA is not clinched immediately, senior IAF officials told Defence Minister Arun Jaitley at an extensive briefing recently. (Defence Minister Briefed on Indian Air Force's Operational Preparedness) French aerospace major Dassault Aviation had won the contract to supply the fighter jets to the IAF in 2012. The Air Force, which ideally requires 44 squadrons but can manage wi…
France to send four Rafales to India for quadrennial 'Garuda' exercises
France will send four Dassault Rafale fighters to India in June to take part in the fifth round of joint 'Garuda' air exercises, an Indian Air Force spokesman said in New Delhi on 22 April. He told IHS Jane's that the Rafales, accompanied by a KC-135 Stratotanker tanker, will undertake combat drills with the IAF's Sukhoi Su-30MKI, upgraded Mikoyan MiG-27 and MiG-21 'bis' fighters at the Jodhpur air base, 600 km west of New Delhi, for 10 days until 13 June. India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been in advan…
Thales, BEL to form Joint Venture Company for Radars
The French aerospace company Thales and India’s Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) have announced a joint venture to produce civil and military applications radars. According to a press statement issued by the two companies Aug 29, the two companies have taken this decision as a follow-up to the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 17 Nov 2009 to set up a Joint Venture Company (JVC) to manufacture radars for India and foreign markets. The JVC will be “dedicated to the design, development, marketing, supply and support of c…
10 major deals pending - A. K. Antony's overcautious approach
With nearly ten major defence deals kept pending for one reason or other, and the defence minister AK Antony more worried about his clean image, the nation's defence preparedness is being called into question. The cancellation of Rs 3,600 crore VVIP helicopter deal with Anglo Italian company Agusta Westland, on suspicion of a Rs 300 crore bribe being paid to middlemen, has set alarm bells ringing in the defence establishment. With nearly ten major defence deals kept…
India to finalise Rafale deal this fiscal year: air force
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will finalise a $15 billion deal to buy 126 Rafale fighter jets from France's Dassault Aviation by March 2014, an Indian air force official said on Thursday, after the deal had been held up by differences over local manufacturing. New Delhi picked the Rafale for exclusive negotiations in January 2012 after a bidding contest against Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, made by a consortium involving EADS , Finmeccanica and BAE Systems . But there were differences over the role of India's state-run Hindus…
Russian Missiles for India's Rafales.
Russia's Tactical Missile Corporation is negotiating with Dassault Aviation for the possible use of its missiles on the Rafale combat jets that have been selected by the Indian Air Force (IAF). Russia’s Tactical Missile Corporation is negotiating with Dassault Aviation for the possible use of its missiles on the Rafale combat jets that have been selected by the Indian Air Force (IAF). The corporation, whose Russian acronym is TRV, told journalists attending last week’s Maks airshow in Moscow that the Indian air force has large …
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