Visiting French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that the Rafale proposal went beyond establishing a buyer-seller relationship, for it would empower India with advanced technology. “India is an independent country, wants equipment of the highest quality, (including) transfer of technology so that it can produce these on Indian soil. The proposal from Rafale meets all these legitimate demands,” the Minister observed.Sources said, if inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Rafale jets, in conjunction with the multi-role Su-30 aircraft and the Mirage air superiority fighters, would substantially bolster the force’s doctrine of “air dominance”.
The French Minister hoped that the Rafale deal would become a precursor to similar contracts related to missiles, submarines and helicopters. The first French Scorpene class submarine, that is being constructed at the Mazagon docks in Mumbai, would be ready by 2016, Navy officials said.
The French firm MBDA and the Defence Research and Development Organisation have apparently finalised a deal to co-develop the Maitri surface-to-air missile, which is likely to be inducted in the stables of the Navy and the IAF.
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Mr. Fabius’s talks seemed to nudge the stalled Jaitapur nuclear reactor deal. He said the nuclear liability law was not obstructing the contract. “We have no issues in this regard with the Indian government,” he said.