Update: India’s Rafale-M deal postponed
India could host a Rafale FAL in Nagpur as part of expanding Indo-French fighter jet cooperation. (Photo: Dassault Aviation)
New Delhi had been gearing up to sign a Navy Rafale deal as talks swirled around a potential assembly line in Nagpur.
India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had approved the long-awaited procurement of 26 Rafale-M fighter jets for the Indian Navy. The deal was expected to be signed in New Delhi on April 28 or 29 during a scheduled visit by French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu, but the signing has now been postponed.
The delay follows a lethal terror attack on 22 April by terrorists in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region which killed more than 26 tourists. India ordered the shutdown of the Pakistan High Commission and its border, while Pakistan has shut down its airspace for Indian
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