India has agreed to purchase 26 Rafale fighters from France for the Navy, the Indian Ministry of Defense announced on Monday, strengthening the naval aviation capabilities of the country, which continues to modernize its troops.
According to a New Delhi official statement, the contract is valued at around 6.5 billion euros. No French sources were published until noon on Monday.
The deal will expand India’s existing Lafale fleet, following the 2016 agreement on 36 aircraft built in France. The previous deal, nearly 8 billion euros, remains the most expensive contract ever protected by the French military aviation industry.
The Rafale, manufactured by Dassault Aviation, is a multi-roll fighter jet capable of air defense, reconnaissance and strike missions. It also forms part of France’s nuclear deterrence capabilities.
The French Navy has run a career-based Lafares since 2004, and the French Air Force served the Jets two years later.
The French military currently operates 165 Lafares, including 41 career variants.
Since 2015, Lafale has been a major export success in France, with 285 aircraft on sale, including Qatar, Egypt, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Croatia.
