![rafale flight deal rafale flight deal](https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/img/article/2019-02/14/full/1550088435-0878.jpg)
However, negotiations between the UPA and Dassault were hampered over disagreements since India wanted 108 of the planes to be produced in India by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). After the win, India’s United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was led by the Congress party to negotiate a deal with the French company to supply 126 aircraft to the Indian military. The company Dassault Aviation, which is an international French aircraft manufacturer of military and business jets, was chosen as the winner of India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition 2012. The French fighter is powered by two M88-2 engines suitable for both low-altitude penetration and high-altitude interception missions. It also has laser designation pods for laser guidance of air-to-ground missiles. The warplane is equipped with a twin-gun pod and 30mm cannon, which can fire up to 2,500 rounds per minute.
![rafale flight deal rafale flight deal](https://img.etimg.com/thumb/msid-65079740,width-640,resizemode-4,imgsize-254466/about-rafale-jets.jpg)
The government should quickly defog the Rafale deal-in national interest.Read more: JF-17 vs Rafale: Why Pakistan’s JF-17 is a Serious Threat to Indian Rafale Jets? Such controversies will only end up delaying the acquisition process. These pilots need modern and safer aircraft quickly. There are already too many flying coffins, and casualties are mounting. Further obfuscation on the Rafale deal will only hurt the eventual user of the planes-the air force pilots. It’s ironical that a government that came to power on an anti-corruption platform is now offering in its defence the argument that inter-government agreements signed by the UPA, including the existing ones with the US and Russia, also did not have an integrity clause. Moreover, the concessions the Indian side made to the French are baffling, particularly when the buyer has all the levers to press in such a large deal. Even if the role of the PMO was only to overcome bureaucratic delays in an important deal for defence preparedness, not revealing this to the country’s highest court gives rise to doubt besides being questionable. Media reports now reveal that the PMO conducted its own parallel negotiations with the French. There was no mention of the role of the PMO. The confusing shifts in stance and refusal to share details by a government that came to power on the promise of rooting out corruption and bringing in transparency is inexplicable.Īs per government’s submission to the apex court, negotiations were conducted by a seven-member team headed by the deputy chief of air staff. Given all this smoke and mirrors, it’s hardly surprising that even now we are none the wiser about the multi-billion-dollar deal.
![rafale flight deal rafale flight deal](https://sldinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/rafale-1024x682-1.jpg)
The Supreme Court had even said that this report had been examined by a parliamentary committee.
![rafale flight deal rafale flight deal](https://d1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net/production/5ecbe62d-2595-491b-af6d-1352296858e0.jpg)
Earlier, it was thanks to the Supreme Court (which gave the government a clean chit late last year) that the public got to know of the existence of the same CAG report. While it is safe to assume the report will give the government a clean chit, the fact that the CAG report is being brought to Parliament in this manner, at this late hour, means there will be no meaningful debate on its findings. There are indications that the government might table it on Wednesday-the last day of the 16th Lok Sabha. The Comptroller and Auditor General’s report on the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation has not yet been tabled in Parliament.