Dassault Aviation and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will be ‘joint prime contractors’ to manufacture 118 Rafale fighters in India clearing the way as to who will assume responsibility for timely delivery and quality of the aircraft, according to defenseworld.com.
The decision on naming both companies’ as ‘joint prime contractors’ was described by Dassault chief executive Eric Trappier as a ‘new development’ implying that it may have been arrived at during the last few days or weeks.
Dassault as well as the Indian MoD are keen to decide on the Medium MultiRole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal before the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to France in April, where the contract, that has been negotiated between the two sides for the past three years, is likely to be signed, if agreement is reached. Trappier, who had accompanied French President François Hollande on a visit to Dassault’s factory in Bordeaux yesterday was quoted as saying in French media reports that he expects a second Rafale contract this year in addition to the one signed with Egypt.
