Defence Minister Parrikar went to town how ‘oxygen’ was breathed into the Indian Air Force by signing the deal for 36, yes Thirty Six, Dassault Rafale fighters by Narendra Modi after meeting French President Francois Hollande in Paris on Friday, for about $4 billion. The truth is Dassault, basically made a fool of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The facts are:
There was a proposal in 2006 PTI report dated 22 Feb 2006, wherein then CEO of Dassault Edelstenne (part of delegation with Jacques Chirac) to then MoS Defence Rao Inderjit Singh to sell 40 (yes Forty) Rafale's in fly-away condition - not as part of MMRCA - but as a separate deal. [http://www.stratpost.com/an-alternate-theory-of-the-mmrca-process-i].
Before we go into that 2006 proposal and its ramifications, the same Rao Inderjit Singh, has switched sides, and he is now part of the BJP government. Let us for a moment keep aside the fact why that original offer was rejected. The point is the same Rao Inderjit Singh is today, MoS (Independent Charge) of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Planning and Defence. Yes, you read it right, he is also MoS Defence. The point is whether Rao Inderjit Singh had informed the PM about the original 2006 offer, if so why that and the rejection was not taken into account, and even worse, if he had not done so, why?
Obviously the then PM Manmohan Singh refused to fall for it - as it would not involve any Technology Transfer or ‘Make in India’, though that phrase was not in vogue before the present PM Narendra Modi made a big hue-and-cry about it - and rejected the original Dassault offer of 40 Rafale in fly-away condition.
Now the same Dassault had offered almost the same proposal, with cost increase obviously, but other conditions like non-technology-transfer and no Make-in-India, but with only 36 as against the original 40 aircraft.
This opens up 3 disadvantages for India.
a) We are caught in the loop with Dassault and closed other options under MMRCA. We cannot threaten to go for Eurofighter.
b) Our position has become weaker even on price and technology transfer negotiation.
c) Even within MMRCA, 1/2 to 1 squadron 20 - 40 Rafales were to be French manufacture and rest by HAL. So now instead of only 20-40 French built, we are going to have (36+20 or 40) 56 - 76 fly-aways, and only 50 or so for HAL.
My querulous side queries, what happened to the missing FOUR from the original offer of 40. Where did the 4 go? Did they fly into Switzerland on the sly? No wonder the PM is saluting the French.
The facts are:
There was a proposal in 2006 PTI report dated 22 Feb 2006, wherein then CEO of Dassault Edelstenne (part of delegation with Jacques Chirac) to then MoS Defence Rao Inderjit Singh to sell 40 (yes Forty) Rafale's in fly-away condition - not as part of MMRCA - but as a separate deal. [http://www.stratpost.com/an-alternate-theory-of-the-mmrca-process-i].
Before we go into that 2006 proposal and its ramifications, the same Rao Inderjit Singh, has switched sides, and he is now part of the BJP government. Let us for a moment keep aside the fact why that original offer was rejected. The point is the same Rao Inderjit Singh is today, MoS (Independent Charge) of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Planning and Defence. Yes, you read it right, he is also MoS Defence. The point is whether Rao Inderjit Singh had informed the PM about the original 2006 offer, if so why that and the rejection was not taken into account, and even worse, if he had not done so, why?
Obviously the then PM Manmohan Singh refused to fall for it - as it would not involve any Technology Transfer or ‘Make in India’, though that phrase was not in vogue before the present PM Narendra Modi made a big hue-and-cry about it - and rejected the original Dassault offer of 40 Rafale in fly-away condition.
Now the same Dassault had offered almost the same proposal, with cost increase obviously, but other conditions like non-technology-transfer and no Make-in-India, but with only 36 as against the original 40 aircraft.
This opens up 3 disadvantages for India.
a) We are caught in the loop with Dassault and closed other options under MMRCA. We cannot threaten to go for Eurofighter.
b) Our position has become weaker even on price and technology transfer negotiation.
c) Even within MMRCA, 1/2 to 1 squadron 20 - 40 Rafales were to be French manufacture and rest by HAL. So now instead of only 20-40 French built, we are going to have (36+20 or 40) 56 - 76 fly-aways, and only 50 or so for HAL.
My querulous side queries, what happened to the missing FOUR from the original offer of 40. Where did the 4 go? Did they fly into Switzerland on the sly? No wonder the PM is saluting the French.
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