Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to sign a deal to acquire 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets for the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier. Also, he placed an order to build three more Kalvari class submarines at Mazagon Dockyards Limited during his visit to France.
India has plans to grow its hardware manufacturing platforms through their locally made engines and technologies. They plan on doing this by signing a defence and industrial roadmap with France.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has set a meeting with the Defence Acquisition Council to approve acceptance of necessity (AON) to the Indian Navy for acquiring 26 Rafale-M fighter jets and to allow the manufacturing of three Kalvari class submarines.
Once the Defence Acquisition Council approves the AON for the 26 Rafale-Marine fighters for INS Vikrant, negotiations of the price, terms and conditions will take place between the two governments. The French Government will aim to provide the best possible price from Dassault Aviation.
The Indian Navy Pilots will go through training from the French and on advanced flying simulators in Goa. The French Pilots flying the Rafel-M on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier have undergone training on simulators as a twin-seater aircraft reduces the carrying capacity of arms and weapons.
On INS Vikrant, there will be 18 fighters (one squadron) readily available and another 8 on standby in Goa. The Rafale-Ms in Goa will be kept as the reserve aircrafts in case a rotation of the fighters are needed.
The final Kalvari class submarine, INS Vaghsheer, will most likely be commissioned next year as it is currently in the testing and trial period. The three new Kalvari submarines will come with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) which was designed by DRDO but will undergo testing by the French Naval Group before getting approved.
The AIP helps in extending the range and endurance of the regular diesel attack submarines and can be underwater for over a whole week before having to surface to recharge the batteries.
With the Indian Navy set to receive these state-of-the-art fighting machines, it will add power and safety to the country and will be able to keep the Indo-Pacific waters a little safer from the ongoing trouble.
