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TechnoratiFrance's Dassault wins contract to sell 126 Rafale jets to India
French firm Dassault has won a multi-billion dollar contract to provide 126 fighter jets to the Indian military.
Dassault will sell its Rafale multi-role jet to India after beating the Eurofighter consortium to secure the long-awaited contract, which is estimated to be worth 9 billion euros.
Dassault Aviation shares soared more than 20 percent on the Paris Stock Exchange after the news broke.
The huge contract to supply war planes to fast-developing India has been fiercely fought over for four years.
New Delhi caused surprise in April when it cut out US bidders Boeing and Lockheed Martin and dropped Sweden's Saab AB and the Russian makers of the MiG 35 from the race.
India which is the biggest importer of military hardware among emerging nations issued the request for proposals in 2007 and trials of aircraft from the six companies competing for the deal began a year later.
The procurement of the fighter jets is a key part of India's military upgrade programme, aimed at securing its borders against rivals Pakistan and China.
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India’s successful test on Thursday of a long-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead is the latest escalation of an arms race in Asia, where the assertiveness and rising military power of China has rattled the region and prompted a forceful response from the Obama administration. By launching the Agni 5, a ballistic missile capable of reaching Beijing and Shanghai, India joined a small club of nations with long-range nuclear capability, including China, Britain, France, Russia, Israel and the United States. The missile was launched Thursday morning from a small island off India’s eastern coast, a day after the test had been scratched because of weather. Indian leaders celebrated the successful test, even as Pakistan and China reacted warily, amid growing international apprehension about the increasing militarization of Asia. The Obama administration, while still trying to extract itself from Afghanistan, is now cultivating alliances with Asian nations and redirecting its strategic and military focus toward Asia to manage China’s new military clout. China announced double-digit increases in military spending last month, and some Chinese military leaders have accused the United States of trying to contain China’s rise. I thank you Firozali A.Mulla DBA
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