IAF to get additional Rafale strike power!
In order to plug the critical gap in the ‘operational necessity’ of the Indian Air Force (IAF), India will soon buy the 36 French Rafale jets in ‘fly-away condition.
The new development is besides the ongoing stalled negotiations between the two sides which had initially focused on 126 Rafales. The 36-jet order is manufacturer Dassault's biggest yet abroad -- estimated to be worth nearly four billion euros ($4.2 billion).
Negotiations to buy the planes kicked off in 2012 but had been bogged down over cost and New Delhi's insistence on assembling a portion of the high-tech planes in India.
This is bound to give IAF additional teeth to counter security threats.