India to buy 60-63 Rafales jets off the shelf from France; MMRCA deal off:

[Thorough Pro]

time will tell. lets wait and see.

He is Modi, he is not congress, I expect the deal to be either scraped or signed.

 

[Bang Galore]

lets wait & watch then.

Btw, the earlier story came from Nitin Gokale, not a completely unreliable source.

 

[Beast]

If true, than it is a major cut from the original plan. Why even bother with the Rafale than?

Rafale will be a good option shall IN Induct them for carrier ops. I think that is the major reason for IAF hell bent on getting them.

 

[ito]

If this news is confirmed, i think it is more of a face saver for everyone involved. A complete cancellation would have been seen as a snub for France, an important partner. This looks like a way to close this chapter(if true)

This is an important issue too that Indian government might have taken into consideration

time will tell. lets wait and see.

As I said, Modi takes decision very fast...and as BJP has absolute majority in the Parliament, Modi is too powerful in Indian political landscape.

 

[Guynextdoor2]

So....tooth fairy will make up for falling numbers?

 

[Skull and Bones]

So....tooth fairy will make up for falling numbers?

No, flying pappus will.

 

[Guynextdoor2]

I don't buy this a major part of the MMRCA was about ToT, industrial benefits and addressing the depleting Sqn strength issue this 60 Rafales through a G-G deal undermines every aspect of this. 126 Rafales simply isn't enough the IAF hinted they would be pursuing the clause for 63 follow on Rafales, they might as well not bother 60 Rafales won't bring enough to India to justify the cost.


I could be wrong but it doesn't make a lot of sense AT ALL.

I think TOT will take a beating and schedule for full number buildup will be extended even more.

No, flying pappus will.

At this time even that looks like an option to consider.....

 

[Bang Galore]

So....tooth fairy will make up for falling numbers?

Numbers will probably have to be made up from elsewhere, the way the French were going, this deal would have been a CAG nightmare. A G2G contract might be the way out.

 

[Soumitra]

PM Narendra Modi says progress possible in Rafale fighter jet talks - The Economic Times

 

[The_Sidewinder]

For what I am observing there should be a way out of the whole saga like following the same procedure which have been followed in case of SUKHOI 30 MKI .

First Modi will sign the contract for off the selve procurement of 60 Rafales ( 3 squadron )., then go for 124 MMRCA after solving most issues.
First of all it will helf to quickly replenish our depleting squadron strength. If MMRCA contract is signed within next 6 months, by the time HAL roles out first batch of rafales from its own production line by 2018-19, IAF will already induct 60 new toys to play with.
Thus keeps IAF happy & also HAL can rip benefits from long lasting booring MMRCA saga in form of Major TOT. Just a thought.

 

[It.is.all.mudi's.fault]

Big breakthrough in Rafale deal likely
India is likely to buy about 60 Rafale combat jets from Dassault Aviation instead of 126 aircraft proposed in the original request for proposal (RFP) meant to be procured in under the process that began some eight years ago, highly placed sources told this writer.
The decision to buy nearly three and a half squadrons (between 60-63 aircraft) of Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF) was taken at the highest political level hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on his three-nation tour on Thursday, the sources added. Given the huge financial and operational implication, the government thought it prudent to take a strategic decision rather than leave it to a bureaucratic process.

The French are likely to be told of this decision by the Prime Minister himself when he meets President Francois Hollande in Paris on Friday.

Under the new proposal, the entire process for procuring 126 combat jets would be scrapped, sources revealed. A new G-to-G (government-to-government) contract is likely to be negotiated between New Delhi and Paris to buy around 60 Rafale jets in flyaway condition from France.

According to top sources, this approach is being adopted for two primary reasons: one, it is imperative that the IAF gets these jets as soon as possible in view of the fast depleting numbers and two, because the impasse in the price negotiations. The entire procurement procedure for the combat jets has turned into a chaotic process thanks to the indecision on part of the political leadership in the previous regime and some loopholes in the negotiations itself making it impossible for the government to arrive at a satisfactory solution.

India is likely to ask for lowering of the price per aircraft too when the G-to-G negotiations get underway. By ordering 60 aircraft to be manufactured in France itself, the government is also hoping to skirt the tricky issue of guaranteeing quality of work under Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), designated as the Lead Production Agency in India.

The government's drastic decision to scarp the torturous procurement process is aimed at augmenting the IAF's falling numbers as well as save about RS 60,000 crore in precious foreign exchange. The calculation is that the 60-odd aircraft would cost about RS 40-45000 crore to be paid out over next four-five years instead of over Rs one Lakh crore necessary to procure the original number of 126 combat jets.

Dude,

This news Source (News Warrior) is $hit and most probably having a brainfart.

Buying 40 Rafales off the shelf is most mind numbingly stupid deal of all possible options.

If you want a plane without ToT, why not go for F/A-18SE. It is much more cost effective plane in this category and Americans could deliver faster than French since they have more assembly lines of this Aircraft.

Whole MMRCA tender was about getting ToT for a pseudo fifth generation Airplane and industrial benefits that accompany western Industrial management techniques, not buying some shiny toy alone.

 

[ashok321]

India to buy 60-63 Rafales jets off the shelf from France; MMRCA deal off: sources


Big breakthrough in Rafale deal likely

India is likely to buy about 60 Rafale combat jets from Dassault Aviation instead of 126 aircraft proposed in the original request for proposal (RFP) meant to be procured in under the process that began some eight years ago, highly placed sources told this writer.

The decision to buy nearly three and a half squadrons (between 60-63 aircraft) of Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF) was taken at the highest political level hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on his three-nation tour on Thursday, the sources added. Given the huge financial and operational implication, the government thought it prudent to take a strategic decision rather than leave it to a bureaucratic process.

The French are likely to be told of this decision by the Prime Minister himself when he meets President Francois Hollande in Paris on Friday.
Under the new proposal, the entire process for procuring 126 combat jets would be scrapped, sources revealed. A new G-to-G (government-to-government) contract is likely to be negotiated between New Delhi and Paris to buy around 60 Rafale jets in flyaway condition from France.

According to top sources, this approach is being adopted for two primary reasons: one, it is imperative that the IAF gets these jets as soon as possible in view of the fast depleting numbers and two, because the impasse in the price negotiations. The entire procurement procedure for the combat jets has turned into a chaotic process thanks to the indecision on part of the political leadership in the previous regime and some loopholes in the negotiations itself making it impossible for the government to arrive at a satisfactory solution.India is likely to ask for lowering of the price per aircraft too when the G-to-G negotiations get underway. By ordering 60 aircraft to be manufactured in France itself, the government is also hoping to skirt the tricky issue of guaranteeing quality of work under Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), designated as the Lead Production Agency in India.

The government's drastic decision to scarp the torturous procurement process is aimed at augmenting the IAF's falling numbers as well as save about RS 60,000 crore in precious foreign exchange. The calculation is that the 60-odd aircraft would cost about RS 40-45000 crore to be paid out over next four-five years instead of over Rs one Lakh crore necessary to procure the original number of 126 combat jets.

 

[That Guy]

Regardless of the massive cut in numbers, it seems Pakistan may end up having to speed up it's procurement of a high tech fighter soon. Even in small numbers, 60 is more than enough of a threat.

 

[anant_s]

India has a better chance of getting discount on a large order (126 jets) vs smaller order (60 jets)

If the news is true, it looks like government will negotiate a price for a immediate order value of 50-60 pieces and ask France to reserve the price for an equal quantity, that right could be exercised later. This way they might be able to cover for entire 120-125 pieces being negotiated now and at a much faster rate of induction.

I don't buy this a major part of the MMRCA was about ToT, industrial benefits and addressing the depleting Sqn strength issue this 60 Rafales through a G-G deal undermines every aspect of this. 126 Rafales simply isn't enough the IAF hinted they would be pursuing the clause for 63 follow on Rafales, they might as well not bother 60 Rafales won't bring enough to India to justify the cost.

Well let the news get confirmed first, but if true, it is a complete Volte face by India and that would beg the question, why didn't we go for the option in first place and let squadron numbers dwindle.
My guess is that IAF has stood its ground and told establishment in clear manner that they need MMRCA. Now. & given the protracted negotiations, someone has now realized that the competitions (the commercial part) was muddled and it would be difficult to strike a deal with it.
So clearly Government has found a middle path of graciously exiting from the negotiations while keeping concerns of ACM addressed and obviously keeping France in good humor. We should also look the visit in context that India is negotiating upto 6 EPR 2 reactors for Jaitapur NPP and other Geo-political support from France, the whole thing (MMRCA) could be a small cog in giant wheel of diplomacy.
PS: I think 60 could just be a number to begin with. Having just 3-3.5 squadrons doesn't make sense, the numbers will/should grow later.

 

[ganesh177]

Rediff catching same story.

Live! India to buy 60-63 Rafales jets off the shelf from France; MMRCA deal off: sources

08:47India to buy 60-63 Rafales jets off the shelf from France; MMRCA deal off: sources:
Noted Strategic Affairs expert Nitin Gokhale says quoting highly-placed sources: India is likely to buy about 60 Rafale combat jets from Dassault Aviation instead of 126 aircraft proposed in the original request for proposal meant to be procured in under the process that began some eight years ago.

The decision to buy nearly three and a half squadrons (between 60-63 aircraft) of Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force was taken at the highest political level hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on his three-nation tour on Thursday, the sources added.

Given the huge financial and operational implication, the government thought it prudent to take a strategic decision rather than leave it to a bureaucratic process. The French are likely to be told of this decision by the Prime Minister himself when he meets President Francois Hollande in Paris on Friday.

Under the new proposal, the entire process for procuring 126 combat jets would be scrapped, sources revealed.


Live! India to buy 60-63 Rafales jets off the shelf from France; MMRCA deal off: sources - Rediff.com India News