DRDO to provide Indian military with a range of indigenous tactical missiles; India likely to sign the $11 billion MMRCA deal with French Rafale by the end of this month-end or next month
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Whatsapp
  • Linkedin
  • Print

    • According to reports, three Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories will, for the first time, provide the military with a range of indigenous tactical missiles. The Director of the pivotal Defence R&D Laboratory (DRDL), A K Chakrabarti, confirmed that the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Army had already placed orders worth Rs 24,000 crore for Akash surface-to-air missiles. He said the navy had ordered Long Range-Surface to Air Missiles (LR-SAMs) worth more than Rs 2,600 crore for the navy’s destroyers and frigates that were under construction. In addition to this, Subir Kumar Chaudhary, the director of DRDL’s sister laboratory, Research Centre Imarat (RCI), revealed the air force had ordered Rs 8,600 crore worth of Medium Range-Surface to Air Missiles (MR-SAMs). 1
    In another development, according to reports, India plans to sign the $11 billion MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) deal with French Rafale by the end of this month-end or next month, according to a senior Indian Air Force official. Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command, IAF, Air Marshal Rajinder Singh said, "I find no reason why it shouldn't be signed by the end of this month or next month." He indicated that negotiations are currently on with regard to pricing for the 126-aircraft deal. "There is money....this thing here and there (pricing being finalised)". The Air Marshal admitted to "some problems" (on pricing) but asserted that it's not unusual in such big deals. "It should come through", he said, adding that the first aircraft under the MMRCA deal would start "flowing in" in 2017. Significantly, the Air Marshal dismissed reports quoting Russian and German officials who had claimed that the deal is not final yet and that it's still up in the air. "Nothing of that sort", he said, pointing out India had already declared the lowest bidder -- Rafale -- for the MMRCA deal. 2

    Top