India to get more Rafales? PM Modi likely to sign Rafale-Marine jets deal for navy during France visit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to sign a deal to purchase 26 Dassault Rafale-Maritime (M) fighter jets from France for the navy for operations onboard aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. Reportedly, the deal will be finalised during PM Modi's crucial visit to Paris this week.

The deal will also include a repeat order of at least three Scorpene-class diesel-electric 'killer-hunter' conventional submarines, media outlets reported quoting people familiar with the matter.

Reports have mentioned that Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will convene a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on July 13, before PM Modi leaves for France.

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The meeting will be aimed at granting Acceptance of Necessity (AON) to the Indian navy to acquire Rafale-M fighters and give a go-ahead to the building of Kalveri class submarines at the Mazagon Dockyards Limited (MDL).

Details about the terms and conditions and negotiations will be known once the government-to-government deal is done.

IAF's Rafale jets to take part in France's Bastille Day parade

The Indian prime minister will be in France on July 13-14 and will be the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade.

Three Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will take part in the flypast over the Champs Elysees, Paris along with other French Air assets in July, the release revealed. A tri-services contingent is also set to participate in the parade along with their French counterparts.

India and France confirmed in May that PM Modi will join French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris for France's Bastille Day military parade on July 14, the two countries said in a joint statement Friday.

Macron's Elysee Palace office had said that Modi's presence and the participation of Indian forces in the parade would mark "a new phase in the strategic partnership between France and India".

It added that the two nations would "set new objectives for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation, including in a large number of industrial sectors".

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What is Bastille Day?

Bastille Day is the national day of France, which is marked annually on July 14. It is formally called the Fête nationale française and legally it is known as le 14 juillet.

Celebrations are held across the nation on the day observed as the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille in 1789 — a major event of the French Revolution. It is also a day to remember the unity of the French people.

(With inputs from agencies)

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