Sunday, October 04, 2015

Rafale negotiations to 'hopefully' conclude by year-end: IAF chief

New Delhi: Admitting to a shortage of fighters, the IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on Saturday expressed hope that the negotiations for purchasing 36 Rafale jets off-the-shelf from France would conclude by the year-end. He said the negotiations for the deal, finalised during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's France visit in April, was progressing well.

"I am hopeful that the negotiations for the deal will not go beyond this year," the IAF chief said at the annual press conference ahead of Air Force Day on October 8. "This is my feeling," he added. It would take two to three years for the first of the two Rafale squadrons to be operational, Raha said. He also said that the Indian Air Force (IAF) required at least six squadrons of medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), which would translate into over 100 jets, and that the Rafale was a good follow-on option. But the government would take a final decision on this.
03/10/15 One India
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