Even as India has expressed interest in procuring 114 Rafale fighter aircraft from France to meet the needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which currently faces a significant shortage of fighter aircraft, French Ambassador Thierry Mathou recently expressed willingness to make the aircraft in India.
According to The Print, he said France has already made two deals on the fighter jet and is ready to enter a new deal. He said France understands that it is important for India to ensure that the country achieves self-reliance in defence.
"When we compare our approach to that of other stakeholders in these sectors, our industry is totally in the mood of Make in India,” The Print quoted him as saying.
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He said this is likely to come up in the discussion sometime soon and added, "And I can tell you that we are very eager, not only to sell the Rafale, but to build the Rafale in India.”
Earlier, media reports had said Dassault Aviation was willing to set up the final assembly line for the aircraft in India with about sixty per cent indigenisation.
In September, news agency ANI reported that the defence ministry began discussions on the proposal of procuring 114 'Make in India' Rafale fighters for the IAF. If such a deal happens, India will have 176 Rafales, including the 36 already inducted by the IAF and the 26 aircraft for which the Indian Navy has already placed an order.