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| Dassault Rafale (MMRCA) Fighter (File Photo) |
By Vivek Raghuvanshi
NEW DELHI — During a visit here by French President Francois Hollande, Paris has offered to transfer high-technology weaponry and equipment to India on a joint development basis.
The offer was made during talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday, said an official of the Indian Foreign Ministry.
“We reviewed progress on the Jaitapur nuclear power project and reiterated our commitment to its early implementation. We expressed satisfaction with the progress in our defense cooperation, which is poised to reach a qualitatively new level,” Singh told reporters.
Eric Trappier, the chief executive of French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation, joined the French president’s 50-member delegation. The company’s Rafale fighter, the preferred vendor in the Indian Air Force’s $11 billion Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition, figured in the summit-level talks.
Regarding progress on the MMRCA talks, an Indian Defence Ministry official said the negotiations are on track, but no time frame can be given as to when the contract can be signed. The negotiations between Dassault and MoD officials are getting more “rigorous” by the day, especially about technology transfer to Hindustan Aeronautics, said an MoD source.
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