Even as India is set to order 114 Rafale fighter jets from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation as a stopgap measure to address the Indian Air Force's (IAF) squadron shortfall, New Delhi has laid down some non-negotiables.
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These non-negotiables include the level of transfer of technology (ToT), and integration of Indian weapon systems, among others, according to a report in The Tribune, quoting sources.
The report further said India also asked the jet maker to provide secure data links to allow integration of Indian radars and sensors onto the aircraft.
India is expected to get 18 fighter jets in flyaway condition, while the remaining 96 will be manufactured in India.
The Tribune report said the plane maker will be providing ToT for making airframes, and the suppliers of the company too will be part of the ToT.
Once the integration of Indian systems is completed, the fighters are expected to have nearly 60 percent indigenous content.
Meanwhile, another report said the Defence Procurement Board, headed by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, approved the proposal for the procurement of the Rafale jets. Quoting sources, The Tribune report said the Defence Acquisition Council, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, will take up the proposal for clearance when it meets next.
Sources have reportedly said the Rafale deal will not impact the production of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and LCA Tejas Mk-II.
In April, the government had cleared procurement of 26 naval variants of Rafale jets at a cost of around Rs 64,000 crore.