Why is India buying only 26 Rafale jets from France — not 25 or 30? Reason behind this magic number is…
In a significant development for the Indian Navy and India’s security, the central Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has cleared the Rs 63,000 crore to buy 26 Rafael fighter jets. In the government to government deal, 22 single-seater aircraft and four twin-seater variants have been included to be imported to India from France.
Readers must note that the new Rafael fighter jets have been designed specifically for the Indian Navy amid its possible conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific region. More specifically, the new Rafael-M has been specially designed to operate from aircraft carriers.
The Rafale procurement will include weapons, simulator, spares, associated ancillary equipment, crew training and logistics support for the Indian Navy from the French government, as per a report by news agency IANS.
26 Rafael-M jets for Indian Navy
The 26 Rafale-M jets for the Navy, manufactured by Dassault Aviation, are expected to be delivered within 37 to 65 months after the final contract is signed in the coming weeks. The delivery of all the planes is scheduled to be completed by 2030-31, a senior official said. The deal will also ensure logistics support and spares for the 36 Rafale fighter jets already inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2016 under an earlier Rs 59,000 crore deal with France. These Rafale jets comprise two squadrons in the IAF. The first Rafale squadron is based at Ambala Air Force Station and the second Rafale squadron is based at Hasimara Air Force Station in West Bengal, near the China border.
About Rafale-M fighter jet
The aircraft’s naval variant Rafale-M will bring commonality with the IAF’s fighters, creating advantages in training, maintenance and logistics support, the official said. India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, had earlier approved the Navy’s proposal to buy the 26 Rafale M fighters earlier in accordance with the official process.
Additionally, the reason behind why India has ordered 26 fighter jets and not 25 or 30 is that the India’s newest aircraft carrier INS Vikrant can carry only 26 fighter planes at a time.
(With inputs from agencies)
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