印度簽署74億美元協議購買26架陣風戰鬥機

 Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

India signs $7.4 billion deal to buy 26 Rafale fighter jets

Reuters  - Shivam Patel and Surbhi Misra

Mon, April 28, 2025 at 3:31 a.m. PDT·1 min read

By Shivam Patel and Surbhi Misra

(Reuters) -India signed a deal with France on Monday to buy 26 Rafale fighter aircraft worth 630 billion rupees ($7.4 billion) for its navy, the Indian defence ministry said in a statement.

India will buy 22 single-seater and four twin-seater fighters, made by France's Dassault Aviation, the ministry said, in a deal that would boost the Asian country's defence ties with its second-largest arms supplier.

"The delivery of these aircraft would be completed by 2030, with the crew undergoing training in France and India," the ministry said, adding that the deal is expected to generate thousands of jobs and revenue for a large number of businesses.

The purchase was approved earlier this month by India's security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Reuters reported.

The Indian Air Force currently operates 36 Rafale fighters, while the navy's aircraft fleet mainly comprises Russian MiG-29 jets.

India is seeking to modernise its military, reduce dependence on Russian-origin equipment, and boost domestic weapons production to supply forces deployed along two contentious borders with Pakistan and China.

The Indian navy has flagged China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean over the past decade, with Beijing operating dual-purpose vessels in the region and maintaining a military base in Djibouti since 2017.

It also marks another step in India's long-standing reliance on French military hardware, including Mirage 2000 jets bought in the 1980s and Scorpene-class submarines ordered in 2005.

($1 = 84.9950 Indian rupees)

Translation

印度簽署74億美元協議購買26架陣風戰鬥機

(路透社)—印度國防部在一份聲明中表示，印度週一與法國簽署了一項協議，為其海軍購買 26 架陣風戰鬥機，價值 6300 億盧比（74 億美元）。

印度國防部表示，印度將購買法國 Dassault Aviation 生產的 22 架單座戰鬥機和 4 架雙座戰鬥機，這筆交易將加強這個亞洲國家與其第二大武器供應國的國防關係。

該部表示：「這些飛機將於 2030 年交付，機組人員將在法國和印度接受培訓」。並補充說，該交易預計將為大量企業創造數千個就業機會和收入。

根據路透社報道，這項採購已於本月初獲得由總理莫迪主持的印度安全內閣批准。

印度空軍目前擁有 36 架陣風戰鬥機，而海軍的飛機隊主要由俄羅斯的米格-29 戰鬥機組成。

印度正在尋求軍隊現代化，減少對俄羅斯裝備的依賴，並提高國內武器產量，以供應部署在與巴基斯坦和中國有爭議的邊境地區的部隊。

過去十年來，印度海軍一直關注中國在印度洋日益增強的存在，北京在該地區部署了兩用艦艇，並自 2017 年以來在 Djibouti 設立了軍事基地。

這也標誌著印度長期以來對法國軍事硬件的依賴又邁出了一步，其中包括 1980 年代購買的幻影 2000 噴射機和 2005 年訂購的鲉魚級潛艇。

So, India has signed a deal with France to buy 26 Rafale fighter aircraft worth $7.4 billion for its navy. These 26 fighter jets will include 22 single-seater and four twin-seater fighters. Apparently, India is seeking to modernize its military and to reduce its reliance on Russian military equipment.