By Vivek Raghuvanshi
NEW DELHI — Following India's sudden decision to buy 36 Rafales from France straight off the production line last week, the next steps in New Delhi's plan to eventually outfit its Air Force with 126 of the Dassault jets remain unclear.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on April 10 that 36 jets will be purchased through a government-to-government deal. Since India made Dassault the preferred bidder for the $12 billion program in 2012, the plan had been to purchase 18 jets and build the remaining 108 in India through a license.
Indian Defence Ministry sources said the deal was struck by the Prime Minister's Office and therefore no details are available. MoD spokesman Sitanshu Kar refused to comment on how the rest of the deal will play out.
"A car can not run on two paths [simultaneously]," Kar tweeted on Monday, attributing the comment to Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. However, no official would say whether it means the plan to buy 126 jets will be canceled or altered.
MoD sources say they learned of the direct purchase of the 36 Rafales when Modi made the announcement at the April 10 press conference.
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