New Delhi: India needs more Rafale fighter jets, but they will need to have a higher indigenous content.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has apparently stalled the “Statement of Case” or SOC by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the purchase of 114 fighters, calling it “incomplete”. The MoD wants “further discussion with Dassault – the manufacturers of the Rafale”.
Dassault has already supplied 36 Rafales to the IAF and bagged an order for the marine version of the aircraft for the Indian Navy.
India is now on the lookout for 114 more ‘medium’ combat aircrafts and Dassault is the top contender.
The SOC has been declared “incomplete” as officials believe that there can be much more indigenisation of the warplane, in line with India’s Atmanirbharata or self-reliance policy, TIMES NOW has reported.
India also wants the bulk of the 114 aircrafts to be manufactured in India. Some can and will come in flyaway condition, but the bulk have to be made in India, an official has said. How many will be manufactured in India in a factory set up by Dassault, with an Indian partner, will be discussed during the fresh round of negotiations.
The MoD has also informed that indigenous content cannot be a token 10-15 percent. It must be much more substantial, maybe upto 75 percent or even more. Only then will Indian defence-sector firms, both state-owned and private, be able to benefit from this deal.
Dassault is keen on setting up a maintenance, repair and overhaul centre in Hyderabad, but India wants it to be a full-fledged factory.
The 36 Rafales were purchased by the IAF through a government-to-government deal, but this one, assuming it will be to Dassault, will not be a repeat order. This will be a separate deal altogether.
The IAF is in urgent need of aircraft as its number of squadrons has fallen to around 30, far lesser than the 42 it requires to counter both China and Pakistan. While Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will supply 180 Tejas Mk1A fighters in the next 7-8 years, these will be light combat aircraft as a replacement for the Mig-21s that have been decommissioned.