DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Dassault Aviation "Confident" of Talks With India on The Sale of 126 Rafales

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Dassault Aviation  "Confident" of Talks With India on The Sale of 126 Rafales

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 15, 2015: French defence company Dassault Aviation on Friday said it was "very confident" that three years of talks with India on the sale of 126 Rafales worth 12 billion euros would result in a deal.



Eric Trappier, chief executive of Dassault Aviation which manufactures Rafale, in an interview with BFM television, said talks were slow as India wanted some of the jets manufactured at home in a bid to boost defence manufacturing, meaning the details of every nut and bolt had to be agreed upon.

The negotiations have got into trouble recently, leading to delay in finalisation of the contract for supply of 126 fighter planes.



In addition to recent visit to New Delhi of French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said  he was confident about the outcome of talks to sell 126 Rafale fighter jets to India in a multi-billion-dollar deal that has been stalled for months.



Fabius is the first of a string of Western politicians due in New Delhi over the next few weeks for talks with the new government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They are drawn in part by the prospect of defence deals, as the new administration considers opening the industry to foreign investment.



"The discussion is developing in a very positive way and ... we are very confident in the final outcome," Fabius told reporters in the Indian capital.



An Indian defence ministry official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, was more cautious.



"I don't think the deal will be signed very soon. There are many intractable issues to be resolved," he told Reuters, while declining to elaborate.



Modi, in office for just over a month, has vowed to get India's economy out of the doldrums by cutting red tape to revive infrastructure projects - including in the defence industry.



The previous government was widely derided for failing to follow through on promises and for letting major projects become bogged down.



India chose French company Dassault Aviation's Rafale in 2012 over other international jet manufacturers, but disagreements over cost and work-sharing have slowed talks, while India's weak economy has stretched government finances.



No final contract has been signed and rivals including Britain still hold out hope the deal will fall through.



"It is fair that for complex matters it takes some time, but there is a difference between some time and too long," Fabius said, talking about deals in general.



"The notion of efficiency - which is very important if I understand correctly, in the new government approach - is completely shared by us," he added before talks with minister Arun Jaitley, who holds both the finance and defence portfolios.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AFP & Reuters

*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 

*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 

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