France offers to supply 40 Rafale new gen fighters to IAF

     New Delhi, Jan 25: As President Nicolas Sarkozy began talks with Indian leaders to boost Indo-French ties, a French company on Friday offered to sell 40 of its new generation Rafale fighters to New Delhi on a fast track basis to help IAF maintain its combat edge.

     The offer was made by Charles Edelstennie, scion of the Dassult family, the makers of the Rafale and Mirage fighters.

     "We know Indian Air Force, with which we have a decade-long close association, is facing force depletion. So we are ready to supply 40 Rafales, the world's first omnirole fighters to India, in a short span of time", the Chairman and Chief Executive of Dassult, a multi-billion French military and civil aerospace company, told PTI.

     Edelastennie said Rafale fighters could be an interim sale to India as New Delhi finalises preparations to acquire 126 Multi Role Combat Aircraft at an estimated cost of 10 billion USD.

     "We estimate delays in procurements of these 126 fighters. So we are offering the Rafale fighters as interim arrangement", he said.

     Government has already cleared a contract for purchase of 40 additional SU-30MKI to maintain an effective air combat strength.

     Bureau Report

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