France’s Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu has deferred his much-awaited visit to India, initially scheduled for April 27. The visit was intended to comprise signing a €7 billion deal for the purchase of 26 Rafale Marine combat aircraft. As per defence sources, the delay in the deal is still unclear, but it comes at a time of increased security sensitivity in India, after the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, which killed dozens of civilians.
The Rafale Marine deal signing had been months in the process and was set to be a major milestone in India-France defence relations. The contract, which is after prolonged tests, will have India’s Navy purchase Dassault Aviation’s carrier-borne Rafale combat aircraft. The Rafale-M was chosen over Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet, a big boost for French defense exports. The aircraft are tailored to operate off India’s carriers, the indigenous Vikrant included.
The Rafale-M, which is equipped with two Snecma M88-2 afterburning turbofans, has a top speed of Mach 1.8 (about 1,912 kilometres per hour) and is a powerful addition to the Indian naval fleet.
In a connected development, French President Emmanuel Macron contacted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convey his condolences over the horrific Pahalgam massacre. Macron stated his strong opposition to terrorism, calling the attack “totally unacceptable” and reiterated France’s “full solidarity with India in its fight against terrorism.” This message of solidarity comes amidst increased global alarm over mounting security threats in the region.
