NEW DELHI: The Defence Acquisition Council on Thursday approved the acquisition of maritime combat jets.
The proposal, sources say, includes the construction of three new submarines jointly with French Original Equipment Manufacturers.
"The DAC chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved two proposals including that of acquiring 26 Rafale-M combat fighter and also manufacturing of three new submarines in India," sources said.
The move, as reported by The New Indian Express, is aimed at strengthening the country's maritime air combat capability. The construction of the additional Scorpene submarine will add to Indian the Navy’s underwater combat capability.
The deal to buy 26 Rafale M jets and three additional Scorpene submarines from France are expected to be announced during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to France during July 14-16.
The deals are estimated to be valued at around Rs 90,000 crore. The 26 Rafale-Marine combat jets will include 22 single-seater and four double-seater trainer versions.
As per procedure, it is the DAC that grants the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) which sets the procedure for acquisition. The Defence Acquisition Council is the highest decision-making body on issues related to policy and capital procurement and is chaired by the Defence Minister.
As reported earlier, in March by this newspaper, the Indian Navy had expressed its preference for the French fighter aircraft Marine over US F-18 Super Hornet.
What went in favour towards these maritime fighters is that the Indian Air Force has already acquired 36 Rafale fighters. The commonality of the fleet and the resultant savings on training, repairs and maintenance have reportedly tilted the scale in favour of Dassault’s Rafale M. The two aircraft’s versions have over 80 per cent common features.
The Navy has been exploring options to replace its ageing MiG-29K as a short-term solution. India has been working on developing its own twin-engine deck-based fighters as a long-term solution to its need for carrier-based fighters. But since there are still some years before the aircraft is indigenously developed, the Navy has decided to go in for the acquisition to meet its requirement.
The other key proposal moved forward is related to strengthening the Navy’s sub-surface combat capability with the construction of the additional Scorpene Submarine in India under Project 75. Mazgaon Dockyard Limited and France's Naval Group have completed the construction of six indigenous conventional submarines, as part of Project 75 (P-75), with the last, INS Vagsheer, of the six Scorpene submarines, Kalvari Class, undergoing the final leg of trials.