Defense deals: India is going to make the biggest defense deal ever. The purchase of 114 Rafale fighter planes has been approved today by the DAC i.e. DEFENCE ACQUISITION COUNCIL. Giving more details on this, CNBC-Awaaz correspondent Aseem Manchanda said that the Mother of All Deals has got the approval of DAC today. Under this, approval has been given for the purchase of 114 Rafale fighter planes. The estimated value of this deal is around Rs 3.25 lakh crore.
Along with this, purchase of SCALP cruise missiles has also been approved. SCALP cruise missile will increase India’s firepower. Along with this, India will buy 6 additional P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft from the US. Next week French President Macron will visit India.
Most of the multi-role fighter aircraft to be purchased will be made in India
The Ministry of Defense has issued a statement with information about the approval received from the DAC. Let us tell you that the chairman of DAC is Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. The statement said that these approvals will fulfill the important needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. For the IAF, Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) has been approved for the procurement of French Rafale jets, combat missiles and air-ship based High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (AS-HAPS).
The statement further said, “The procurement of Multi Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) will enhance the ability to maintain air dominance in all aspects of a war and will significantly enhance the IAF’s deterrence capability with long-range attack. Most of the MRFAs to be procured will be made in India.”
The MRFA (Multi Role Fighter Aircraft) program is being seen as an important step to enhance air dominance and long-range strike capability amid the changing regional security dynamics.
Combat missiles will increase the ability to attack from the ground
The Defense Ministry further said that the combat missiles will enhance the ground attack capability, their strike power will be very high and the accuracy will also be very high.
Use of AS-HAPS will help in gathering intelligence information
Referring to AS-HAPS, the ministry said, “AS-HAPS will be used for continuous intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic intelligence, telecommunication and remote sensing for military purposes.”
For the Indian Army, AoN (Acceptance of Necessity) has been approved for the procurement of Anti-Tank Mines (Vibhav) and overhaul of Vehicle Platforms of Armored Recovery Vehicles (ARVs), T-72 Tanks and Infantry Combat Vehicles (BMP-II).
Similarly, 04 MW Marine Gas Turbine Based Electric Power Generator and Boeing P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft have been approved for the Navy.
This approval has come at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan had increased after Operation Sindoor a few months ago. In Operation Sindoor, there was tremendous military action with drones and missiles for four days.