India Receives Frances Bid For 26 Rafale Marine Jets Deal

India has received price bids from France for the purchase of 26 Rafale-M carrier-based fighters as well as three additional Scorpene-class conventional submarines.

While the Rafale-M is being processed through an Inter-governmental agreement, the submarine deal is a follow-on to the earlier contract with Naval Group, under which Mazagon Dockyard Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai manufactured six submarines in India. The Defence Ministry has already set up a committee to arrive at the benchmark price for the submarine deal, sources said.

In response to India’s request, France submitted a Letter of Acceptance earlier this week, outlining the pricing and other details of its offer for 26 Rafale-M jets, which are meant to operate from the Navy’s two aircraft carriers, sources confirmed. Meanwhile, MDL has submitted its commercial offer for three more Scorpenes to the Indian Navy on December 11, it has been learnt.