*PARIS: *India received on Tuesday the first of 36 Rafale fighter jetsordered from France in 2016 in a multi-billion-dollar deal that Paris hopeswill unlock more sales despite being tainted by suspicion of corruption.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh joined his French counterpart Florence Parlyfor a ceremony at the Dassault Aviation factory in Merignac, near thesouthwestern city of Bordeaux, on the Indian Air Force’s birthday.
Standing next to the plane, decorated in the colours of the Indian flag,Singh hailed an “historic and landmark day for the Indian armed forces,”noting the Rafale “will add to the strength of our air force.”
India is seeking to renew its ageing fleet of Jaguar, Mirage 2000, Sukhoi30, and Mig 21 and 27 jets.
It signed a deal in 2016 to buy 36 Rafales from France, but delivery hasbeen held up by corruption allegations levelled by the opposition Congressparty.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accused Congress of undermining thecountry’s security, saying the Line of Control skirmishes would have ended“better” for India if it had the Rafales.
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter jets in February shot down two Indianwarplanes after they intruded into its airspace while responding to aPakistani aerial mission on targets inside Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).
French plane-maker Dassault in 2012 won a contract negotiated under aCongress-led government in 2012 to supply 126 jets to India, with somebuilt in France and the rest in India by state-owned Hindustan AeronauticsLimited (HAL).
But on a visit to France in 2015, Modi scrapped the deal, replacing it withan order for 36 jets — all to be built in France. The deal was estimated tobe worth $9.4 billion (8.5 billion euros) at the time.
The new agreement, signed the following year, named Reliance group, aconglomerate owned by billionaire Anil Ambani that has little experience inaviation, as Dassault’s local partner.
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Ambani is reported to be close to India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) party.
Modi and the government deny any misconduct, and in December, India’s topcourt dismissed calls for an investigation into the deal, saying it saw noevidence of “commercial favouritism”.
Mandated to be able to deal with two conflicts at once — with China andPakistan — the Indian Air Force is meant to have 42 squadrons but strugglesto put together 33, according to the International Institute for StrategicStudies.
“Combat aviation for them is… a strategic asset,” said Jean-Paul Palomeros,former chief of staff of the French Air Force and an expert at the CEISstrategic intelligence firm.
“As such, its renovation is both political and a high military priority.”
As part of Modi’s “Make in India” programme to encourage localmanufacturing, the Rafale contract provides for domestic “offset” deals.
“Nearly 60 French companies are already established in India… and in thefuture more companies will come,” said Parly, the French defence minister.
The Rafale has been used by the French army since 2004 but struggled forseveral years to land foreign clients. – APP / AFP
