India Is Vying With France To Become A Main Maintenance Hub For The Rafale Jet

India has teamed up with France to become a centre for Rafale fighter jet maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO). This comes after Indonesia agreed to buy 42 Rafale fighter jets from France last month, while the UAE agreed to acquire 80 fighter jets from France in December 2021.

In 2016, India agreed to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, of which 33 have been delivered. As a result, countries in the region now have fighter jets produced in France.

The Indian proposal comes as part of the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat agenda, which focuses on domestic defence equipment manufacturing. Both sides discussed collaborative manufacturing of aviation engines in India during the visit of French Defense Minister Florence Parly.