New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar Tuesday met his French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian, as a major defence deal involving the procurement of French Rafale fighter jets awaits approval.
The two ministers held delegation-level talks, amid reports that the deal for 126 multi-role combat aircraft from the French aerospace major Dassault Aviation is in trouble facing delay for nearly three years and is facing fresh questions over pricing.
The defence ministry has, however, maintained it is awaiting the final report of the commercial negotiations committee (CNC) and that there are no second thoughts on the combat jet.
Sources in the defence ministry said the government wants to decide on the deal before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France, scheduled for April this year.
Parrikar had said Feb 18 that he had directed the CNC to speed up the process of completing the report so that a decision could be soon taken on the fighter jet's acquisition.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) had short-listed Rafale for induction into its frontline combat fleet, replacing the ageing Soviet-era MiG-21 squadron.
The deal is estimated to cost $20 billion for delivery of 126 fighters, including 18 off-the-shelf by Dassault, and 108 to be manufactured in India under licensed production by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. overtime, with 50 percent offset obligations to benefit the domestic aerospace industry.
The IAF opted for the twin-engined Rafale in January 2012 over Eurofighter Typhoon of the European consortium EADS Cassidian after outsmarting F-16 of America's Lockheed Martin, Boeing's F/A-18, Russian United Aircraft Corp's MiG-35 and Sweden's SAAB Gripen in a global competitive bid floated in August 2007.
Coca-Cola suffered heavy losses due to the anger of Cristiano Ronaldo, the world's famous footbal
NEET UG 2022: Due to severe floods in many states, how will the NEET exam be conducted?
NEET UG 2022: Many states of the country are in the grip of severe floods at this time. Hundreds
Russia on Tuesday raised the issue of Ukraine's so-called dirty bombs at the United Nations Secur
The monsoon is slowly starting to weaken. Monsoon is likely to depart in the next few days. It is
An incident like misbehavior with women in Manipur has also come to the fore in Meerut, UP. The v
Jugraj Singh, who hoisted the 'Nishan Sahib' flag at the Red Fort during the tractor parade of fa
New Delhi: Corona virus spread across the world from Wuhan city of China is causing havoc. Almost
Massive dome of a mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia collapses after a fire
The massive dome of the Islamic Center mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, collapsed like a pack of car
The Enforcement Directorate is tightening its grip on the alleged liquor scam in Delhi. It is rep
The situation is getting worse due to the turbulent economy of Pakistan. An unprecedented step ha