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India, France Discuss Rafale Jet Procurement, Vow to Deepen Defense Ties

© AFP 2023 MARIO GOLDMANThis picture taken on March 1, 2022 shows a view of French Navy Dassault Rafale M multirole fighter aircraft in the hangar of France's aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle, in Cyprus' southern city of Limassol.
This picture taken on March 1, 2022 shows a view of French Navy Dassault Rafale M multirole fighter aircraft in the hangar of France's aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle, in Cyprus' southern city of Limassol. - Sputnik India, 1920, 06.01.2023
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A multi-billion-dollar deal for the Indian Navy to buy French Rafale M fighter jets could be signed during French President Emmanuel Macron's India visit in March.
India and France have discussed the possible acquisition of 26 French Rafale M fighter jets for the Indian Navy during the latest round of the Indo-French Strategic Dialogue, sources in New Delhi told Sputnik.
The deal is expected to be signed in March, when French President Emmanuel Macron will be in New Delhi on an official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Dassault Aviation-manufactured Rafale M jet is believed to have been chosen as the top option for the Indian Navy after competing against the American Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet in the country's Multi-Role Carrier-Borne Fighters program.
The Indian Air Force is already using 36 Rafale fighter planes procured through a government-to-government deal in 2016.
During the strategic dialogue, co-chaired by Prime Minister Modi's national security adviser Ajit Doval, and Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to the French Presiden, the two sides also discussed the global security environment, expanding defense cooperation, and the situation in Afghanistan, Africa, South-east Asia, and Eurasia.

“Both sides also agreed to strengthen bilateral defense and security cooperation including in the South West Indian Ocean Region and the Indo-Pacific, and pursuit of new initiatives in critical and emerging technologies,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said.

The agenda for the talks included discussions of third-country cooperation, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, nuclear energy, space, and cyber domains.
Both India and France emphasized the need for closer cooperation between the two countries given the uncertain and volatile global security environment, including in the UN Security Council and other multilateral forums.
The two sides also reaffirmed that they were intent on a strategic partnership that promotes peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific region, based on shared values of a rules-based international order and strategic autonomy.
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