Why Rafale Deal Wasn't Included In India, France Joint Statement: Sources

India and France will soon begin negotiations into deals for 26 Rafale aircraft and three Scorpene class submarines for the Indian Navy, sources have clarified to NDTV.

The clarification comes after the final draft of the India-France joint statement issued in Paris during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit last week missed any specific mention of these deals, which had earlier been cleared by the Defence Acquisition Committee of the Ministry of Defence. 

Sources now say the Rafale deal was not included in the statement as it is a 25-year roadmap.

Rafale was not part of the roadmap as it was for the next 25 years, said sources. The contract would be done long before 25 years, so it was felt that it didn't have to go in the statement, they said.

"India wants Rafales and Scorpenes. But now negotiations will take place. Before the contract is signed, we need to discuss with the industry and finalise. You shouldn't read too much into it not being specifically mentioned in the statement," said sources.

The sources said the Scorpene deal was yet to be sealed; the contract negotiations and industrial arrangements need to be worked out. "The price, date of delivery need to be finalised. But we don't see any difficulty," they said.

The absence of any mention of the acquisition of Rafale jet and Scorpene submarines was conspicuous in the joint statement put out after PM Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron held talks on Friday.

The Defence Procurement Board had announced preliminary clearance for both deals before PM Modi flew to France, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had also tweeted about them.

Dassault Aviation also put out a statement saying the Indian government had selected Navy Rafale for the acquisition of fighter jets for the Navy.

"Following an international competition launched by the Indian authorities, this decision comes after a successful trial campaign held in India, during which the Navy Rafale demonstrated that it fully met the Indian Navy's operational requirements and was perfectly suited to the specificities of its aircraft carrier. The Indian Navy's 26 Rafale will eventually join the 36 Rafale already in service, which are giving full satisfaction to the Indian Air Force, making India the first country to make the same military choice as France by operating both versions of the aircraft to help consolidate its superiority in the air and on the seas and guarantee its sovereignty," Dassault said.

Some reports suggested the joint statement was revised to remove specifics.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra was asked for clarification during his briefing after the talk.

"The 2047 Horizon document looks at security and sovereignty in a more holistic and a comprehensive manner rather than as a set of individual transactions," he said.

"The reason for that is because the metrics of defence partnership are not defined by a single acquisition or a non-acquisition, single procurement or a single transaction," said the Foreign Secretary.