Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh (C), French Defence Minister Florence Parly and Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier take part in the ceremony marking the delivery of the first of 36 Rafale fighter jets destined for India, on October 8, 2019 at Dassault Aviation plant in Merignac. GEORGES GOBET / AFP
Indian officials have cleared the proposed , including more Rafale jets, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday, February 12, days ahead of a visit by France's President Emmanuel Macron.
A Defense Ministry source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the decision covers the purchase of 114 French Rafale fighter jets, bringing the total to a few dozen already ordered for the Indian Air Force.
New Delhi has sought over the past decade to reduce its dependence on Russia, its traditional main supplier of military equipment, turning to other countries while pushing to boost domestic production.
A Defense Ministry statement, which did not specify the number of jets under the proposed deal, said that "the majority" of them would be manufactured in India. Media reports in India, citing unnamed government sources, suggested Dassault Aviation could manufacture at least 90 jets in the country under the deal.
