India - France $ 8.8 billions Rafael deal
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PARIS: (APP) French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian left on Thursday for New Delhi where he is expected to sign a long-delayed deal to sell 36 Dassault fighter jets to India.
Dassault CEO Eric Trappier was part of Le Drian's delegation, an AFP reporter accompanying the minister on the flight said.
READ MORE: France-India finalise $9 billion 36 Rafale deal
Paris has stopped short of confirming the deal approved Wednesday by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet committee on security, with government spokesman Stephane Le Foll saying France was waiting for "things to be said officially".
READ MORE: India occupies No.6 slot in defence spending in the world
But a senior Indian defence ministry official said that Le Drian and his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar would sign the accord on Friday.
The long-delayed deal is the biggest order for the Rafale after Egypt and Qatar each ordered 24 of the jets last year.
India entered exclusive negotiations four years ago on buying 126 Rafale jets, but the number of planes was drastically scaled back in tortuous negotiations over the cost and assembly of the planes in India.
READ MORE: Indian Defence Minister compares 32 years old Tejas with Rafale
Details of the agreement -- notably the price tag -- "will become clear after the signing event", the Indian official said.
A report by the Press Trust of India estimated the value of the deal at 7.9 billion euros (8.8 billion dollars).
