Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said that the decision to buy 126 fighter jets from France cleared by the previous Congress-led government, was not thought through properly. The purchase, he said, should not have been made through a global tender, but through a government to government deal.
"This is much a better deal," he said in an exclusive interview to NDTV, referring to India's new plan to buy 36 ready-to-fly Rafale jets from France's Dassault Aviation, announced last week by Prime Minster Narendra Modi.
The Defence Minister indicated that the cost per jet would now be cheaper. Buying "126 (fighters) would cost India about Rs 1 lakh crore. Can we spend so much money on a high-end fighter," Mr Parrikar asked, adding, "you don't agree to a 1 lakh crore deal" without working out how and from where the money will come."
The BJP government, the minister said, will first acquire only equipment and weapon systems that are critical for the three forces. "We are in the process of weeding out the rest."
"I think we need to address this problem" Mr Parrikar said and suggested filling the gaps with more indigenous LCA or Light Combat Aircraft manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. "Today we have only 40 LCAs, why can't we have 100 of these?" he said.
The government, Mr Parrikar said, wants a fighter jet manufacturer to set up a facility in India which "may not necessarily be Dassault."
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