(a) whether the Government proposes to procure combat aircraft Rafale from France;
(b) if so, the details and the present status thereof;
(c) the reasons for preferring Rafale over other aircrafts; and
(d) the time by which the aircraft is likely to be delivered?
MINISTER OF DEFENCE (SHRI ARUN JAITLEY)
(a) & (b): As per the Request for Proposal (RFP) for procurement of 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), 18 aircraft are sought to be procured in fly away condition and 108 aircraft are to be license manufactured in India. The process of negotiations with the L1 vendor, M/s Dassault Aviation of France for procurement of MMRCA is on.
(c) Out of the six proposals received in response to the RFP for procurement of the MMRCA, the proposals of M/s Dassault Aviation for Rafale and M/s EADS, Germany for Eurofighter Typhoon were found compliant to the technical requirements. The proposal of M/s Dassault Aviation had the lowest cost.
(d) The 18 direct fly away aircraft are expected to be delivered in three to four years from the signing of the contract. The remaining 108 license manufactured aircraft in India are expected to be delivered during the following seven years.