India, France ink deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets
NEW DELHI, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- India Friday formally signed a deal with France for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets, officials said.
The deal was signed in New Delhi by India's Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.
"India and France signed the deal for 36 Rafale jets," Parrikar wrote on twitter after finalizing the deal. "Rafale will significantly improve India's strike and defence capabilities."
(Le) Drain arrived in New Delhi on Thursday accompanied by CEOs of Dassault Aviation, Thales and MBDA to seal the multi-billion dollar deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets.
The aircraft will be equipped with latest missiles and weapon system.
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France's Hollande hails concluded Rafale deal with India
PARIS, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- French President Francois Hollande on Friday hailed the conclusion of the Rafale fighter jet deal with India which he said was "a recognition" of French aeronautic industry and security technology.
French defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian inked the agreement with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi -- a deal for India to buy 36 Rafale worth about 7.9 billion euros (8.85 billion U.S. dollars), one of India's biggest defense deals in decades.
"The agreement... shows the great military and strategic power's recognition of operational performance, technological quality and competitiveness of the French aero space industry," Hollande said in a statement.
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