The Rafale is a beautiful fighter aircraft which will give India "unprecedented" combat capabilities, Indian Air Force's vice chief said today amid escalating controversy over the Rs 58,000 crore deal.
Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal SB Deo also said those criticising the Rafale deal must understand the laid down norms and procurement procedure.
"It is a beautiful aircraft..It is a very capable aircraft and we are waiting to fly it," Vice Air Marshal SB Deo said on the sidelines of an event when asked about the controversy surrounding the Rafale deal.
The vice air marshal also said that Rafale jets will give India "unprecedented advantage" over its adversaries in the region.
India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore. The delivery of the fighter jets is scheduled to begin from September 2019.
The Congress has raised several questions about the deal, including on cost of the aircraft, while the government has rejected all charges made by the Congress.
"Atmanirbharta" Cannot Be At Cost Of Nation's Defence: Air Force Vice Chief Exclusive: 1st Videos Of IAF Night-Time Laser-Guided Bomb Attacks On Tiger Hill During Kargil War "I Locked Onto A Pakistani F-16 For 30 Seconds": Kargil Hero's Account Bangladesh Imposes Curfew, Deploys Military As 105 Die In Protests "Jindal Group Executive Showed Porn, Groped Me On Flight": Woman To NDTV Over 300 Indian Students Return Home As 105 Bangladeshis Killed In Protests Joe Biden Is The Best Person To Take On Trump, Says His Campaign Wife Among Two Jailed For Life For Man's Murder In Gurugram: Cops 1,100 Flights Cancelled In US As Microsoft Outage Disrupts Operations Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.