India to ink Rafale deal with France tomorrow

NEW DELHI: The long-awaited deal between India and France for 36 Rafale fighter aircraft will be inked here on Friday between defence minister Manohar Parikkar and

NEW DELHI: The long-awaited deal between India and France for 36 Rafale fighter aircraft will be inked here on Friday between defence minister Manohar Parikkar and his French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian.

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New Delhi on Wednesday cleared the deal amid indications that the French government waived off the advance guarantee, allowing India to save 134 million euros. The 7.878-billion euro deal is crucial for the Indian Air Force that is grappling with a drawdown of its fighter fleet. The IAF has 33 fighter squadrons, each consisting of 18 fighter planes. It requires 45 combat units to counter a combined threat from China and Pakistan. The IAF admits it does not have sufficient number of warplanes for a two-front war.