Dassault Woos India Sensing MMRCA Deal Conclusion

[Abingdonboy]

The 18-month long negotiations between Dassault and India over the Rafale MMRCA deal may be heading to a conclusion, if information pieced together from various sources is to be believed.
On the Indian Air Force’s 81st anniversary last week, Dassault used the local media to congratulate the IAF by posting advertisements about the Rafale under a congratulatory banner.
“For the normally media-shy Dassault which did not even hold a customary press conference during the Aero India show earlier this year, despite winning one of the biggest fighter deals in the world, the current media blitz shows something is brewing”, said a source familiar with the developments.
Since India awarded Dassault the contract to supply 126 fighter aircraft last year, then estimated to be worth $12 billion, negotiations have run into difficulty over transfer of technology and about the status of the lead integrator.
Dassault was expected to provide 18 Rafale fighter jets in "fly-away" condition while state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL) was to manufacture the rest in India.

ntil a couple of months ago, Dassault was reported to pushing for two separate contracts to be signed - one for the ready-made jets, and another for the rest to be built by HAL; a proposal supposedly rejected by India.
However, India’s dire need to supplement its depleting fighter aircraft fleet with multi-role fighter aircraft may be pushing it to take a less rigid stance at the negotiation table. One line of argument going around is that India would increase the order of jets to be flown in from France to 25 or 30 up from 18, until a way out has been found over technical and other issues concerning the manufacture of the remaining 90 or 100 aircraft in India.
This would give both parties about two years to get their act together given that the Dassault factory in France can only assemble about 25-30 planes in a year of which slightly less than half is committed to the French Air Force.

While the upcoming 2014 general elections are often cited as a reason for delaying the signing of the contract, even if negotiations do come to a completion, pressure from the Indian Air Force (IAF) may force the government to allocate funds for the purchase even in an election year.
When asked at a press conference last week, about the depleting fleet, IAF chief NAK Browne said, "If the MMRCA deal isn't signed, there will be a rapid decline in fighter numbers between 2017 and 2022. It is imperative that the deal is signed quickly".
“RAFALE International sees the MMRCA program as much more than a mere acquisition process. It is the opportunity to develop a large scale strategic partnership and industrial cooperation between India & France covering in-depth technological and production cooperation,” Dassault says on its Rafale India website. “The offer is also totally supported by the strong political commitment of France towards India in all fields of Defense cooperation.”
Dassault has entered into a joint venture agreement with the Anil Ambani owned Reliance Industries to manufacture aircraft spares in India, presumably as part of the offsets program.

Dassault Woos India Sensing MMRCA Deal Conclusion

 

[Storm Force]

IF THIS HAPPENS BEFORE THE ELECTION ie very soon as you indicate I WILL GLADLY WITH JOY apologise for my doom and gloom posts about this DEAL BEING cancelled

Its an incredible WAR PLANE at a INCREDIBLE price.

this is what has me worried about this deal.

CAN WE AFFORD THE $25 BILLION even spread over 10 years AND THAT TOO on what is essentially a LATE 4 GENERATION MMRCA.

WILL SEE where by doom & gloom POSTS just TOTALLY WRONG

I HOPE SO cause i want IAF to be STRONG AND CAPABLE like any indian

 

[[Bregs]]

Probably deal is on table by next couple of weeks

 

[anant_s]

Wonderful news! So the long negotiations seems to be coming to an end and i hope it is a win-win deal for both india and france.

One line of argument going around is that India would increase the order of jets to be flown in from France to 25 or 30 up from 18, until a way out has been found over technical and other issues concerning the manufacture of the remaining 90 or 100 aircraft in India.
This would give both parties about two years to get their act together given that the Dassault factory in France can only assemble about 25-30 planes in a year of which slightly less than half is committed to the French Air Force.

Now that is a very sensible move, if cost is agreed upon, why not give Dassault a Letter of Intent and it starts supplying its quota of fighters staright away and IAF start integrating them which is supposed to take a few years atleast. This will give both sides and more importantly HAL breathing space by which time thorny issues can be sorted out.
Going by all past deals, it is very likely that IAF will see more than 126 Rafale in service, so sooner we start the better it is. And if things are as positive as told in news article, we may expect a formal signing by the end of this year itself.

 

[Tshering22]

Please just get these jets in. We are losing MiGs like moths in a camp fire.

Just hurry it up before more pilots die.

 

[sudhir007]

i think this deal already delay 1-2yr, better to go with 36 fighter fly way mode and rest will be assemble by HAL as we all know our domestic co. habit to delay all the project 1-2yr

 

[GURU DUTT]

sab topi drama hai elections se pehle kuch nahi hone wala aur agar kuch hua bhi to age stalemate hi hoga

 

[AUSTERLITZ]

IF THIS HAPPENS BEFORE THE ELECTION ie very soon as you indicate I WILL GLADLY WITH JOY apologise for my doom and gloom posts about this DEAL BEING cancelled

Its an incredible WAR PLANE at a INCREDIBLE price.

this is what has me worried about this deal.

CAN WE AFFORD THE $25 BILLION even spread over 10 years AND THAT TOO on what is essentially a LATE 4 GENERATION MMRCA.

WILL SEE where by doom & gloom POSTS just TOTALLY WRONG

I HOPE SO cause i want IAF to be STRONG AND CAPABLE like any indian

Ur not getting it,rafale is absolutely must for ground strike role.And with SPectra its very good at it.It would replace the MKIs in the role of deep strike into tibet infrastructure[roads and supply dumps] in case of PLA attack.It would be far more potent in penetrating airspace protected by PLA hq-9 and s-300 than large RCS MKI.It already proved its capability vs s-300 in nato exercise mace xiii.In western front its perfect for surgical strikes in case of another mumbai style drama worst case as PAF air defence is helpless before it.
Secondly once armed with meteor BVR it will outperform all our adversaries non 5th gen aircraft conclusively in AA.Putting china's huge flanker and j-10 fleet and paf thunder and f-16 fleet at disadvantage.THE BVR advantage that paf holds with AMRAAM will be eliminated and reversed.

 

[flamer84]

The contract most likely to be signed in 2015,at best at the end of 2014 but that is unlikely.Wow...

french source :

Rafale en Inde : les industriels visent un contrat signé... en 2015

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

These jets will come when my yet to be born kids will be in college. Mark my words.

 

[idune]

While india feel wooed, what does indian pocketbook say? Can india afford to pay for the expanse in mist of financial crisis? Does this make sense among other priorities?

 

[That Guy]

If they get it, good for them. Will it happen? Who knows?

 

[Abingdonboy]

While india feel wooed, what does indian pocketbook say? Can india afford to pay for the expanse in mist of financial crisis? Does this make sense among other priorities?

This so-called "finical crisis" you speak has effectively turned out to be nothing but scaremongering. India can afford to buy these of course, the money is there, defence spending won't be affected. People like to make out India is flat broke, the facts tell a different story.

 

[dray]

While india feel wooed, what does indian pocketbook say? Can india afford to pay for the expanse in mist of financial crisis? Does this make sense among other priorities?

Don't worry, if we can grant Bangladesh $1 billion in the so called mist of financial crisis, we can buy stuff for us also.

 

[Taygibay]

Let's make a tentative correlation. The contract is signed before March WITH the extension. As such, the planes in the extension become possibly built in France. ( Not all, of course but as per need. ) Thus production of the IAF's Rafales can begin immediately and deliveries begin in summer 2016. That pleases the French govt aiming at limited buys to relieve finances and allows the necessary time for industrial problems to be solved by HAL & co.

Under such a plan, if things are delayed, the number of imported planes can be hiked and if they roll on smoothly, it can be reduced WITHOUT affecting the normal initial 128 lot? All margin is found in the extension?

As for price, let us remember the botched M2000 prod line affair. If India buys off the production line ( supposing HAL to make it efficient which is a somewhat bigger if *sigh* ) this time, it solves its problems as it can turn it into either the next generation LCA or AMCA when done with it?
Which relates to ToT, a factor so often forgotten on fora discussions? Like when some folks call to ditch the Raffy MMRCA to acquire F-35s? Yeah sure, a bird the maker did not want to share source codes with its closest ally in the whole World and biggest contributor to the project ... I really wonder how much ToT one could extract from that?

Tsssk, Tay.