India and France have firmed up an understanding on the offsets segment under which the French have agreed to invest 50 per cent of the Rafale deal’s worth in related sectors. Even as the deal was being reached, French aircraft manufacturer Dassault had already reached out to Indian companies in the defence and security industry for possible Make in India partnerships. Estimated at $4.5 billion, or about Rs 30,000 crore, this will make it one of India’s biggest-ever offsets deals.

The deal for off-the-shelf purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft was reached during Modi’s trip to Paris in April. It was stuck for over four months on pricing and offsets issues, which have been partly addressed after high-level political intervention.

Did You Know?

• The Dassault Rafale is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation.
• Equipped with a wide range of weapons, the Rafale is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, and nuclear strike missions.
• The Rafale has been marketed for export to several countries, and it has been selected for purchase by the Indian Air Force, the Egyptian Air Force, and the Qatar Air Force.

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