India seals deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France

India has formally signed an agreement with France for the purchase of three dozen Rafale fighter jets worth a reported 8.8 billion dollars amid a long-running arms race with neighboring Pakistan.

India’s Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian signed the deal at a ceremony in the Indian capital, New Delhi, on Friday.

The deal was signed after years of tortuous negotiations between the two countries.

India entered exclusive negotiations on buying 126 of the fighter jets four years ago, but the number was scaled back during negotiations over costs and other matters.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally intervened in April 2015 to agree on the smaller order of 36.

Defense experts say it will bring a much-needed boost to India’s air force as it tries to replace parts of the country’s ageing air force fleet.

India, the world’s top defense importer, has signed several big-ticket deals as part of a 100-billion-dollar upgrade since Hindu nationalist Modi took office in 2014. He has vowed to modernize India’s armed forces.

The deal with France comes amid ongoing tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had earlier accused India of an “unprecedented arms build-up” along the de facto border dividing the disputed region of Kashmir.

Addressing the annual United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, Sharif said Pakistan would “take whatever measures… necessary to maintain credible deterrence.”

Sharif also blamed India for imposing “unacceptable preconditions” for potential peace talks over Kashmir.

SS