India has finally concluded its long search for carrier-based fighters. On Monday, April 28, an agreement was signed with France to purchase 26 Rafale fighter jets for India's navy. Earlier this month, the deal was approved by the country's Cabinet Committee on Security.
This information is reported by Reuters with reference to a representative of the Indian Defense Ministry. The report states that the deal is worth 630 billion rupees ($7.41 billion), though earlier this month reports indicated the agreed price was $6.6 billion.
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At this point, we can talk about the final chapter of this story, which has been unfolding since the 2010s.
As of 2021, when the Indian Vikrant aircraft carrier passed the first stage of testing, India had not yet decided on the type of carrier-based aircraft it would acquire.
The fact is that this aircraft carrier could only take off from a springboard, making the russian MiG-29K the most likely candidate, though the Indian military leaned towards acquiring a Western fighter.
India conducted final tests of the Rafale M and F/A-18 Super Hornet, in which the French aircraft proved superior, especially during springboard trials. At the end of 2022, the Indian government decided to purchase the Rafale, as India finally rejected the russian MiG-29K.
In 2023, the media reported that during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France in July, an agreement on the Rafale purchase was expected to be signed. As we can see, the deal was postponed for two years. Currently, deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2029 and will continue for two years, concluding in 2031.
Earlier Defense Express reported that iran and India had wanted Yugoslavia's M-84 tanks over Soviet T-72s.
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