Dassault Aviation would deliver the Rafale jets to India from 2019, and might even procure more orders on that front, the company’s Chief Executive Officer Eric Trappier told Reuters on Monday, 15 October, on the sidelines of the world’s largest business jet show in Orlando.
Trappier’s announcement comes amid a raging controversy over the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault by the government in 2016, with the opposition alleging wrongdoing in the deal.
Earlier, Trappier had confirmed that Dassault’s joint venture with Reliance represents around 10 percent of the offset investments under the Rafale jet deal.
"We're in talks with about 100 Indian firms, including around 30 with which we've already confirmed partnerships," Trappier had told AFP.
Trappier’s clariication came amid the backdrop of several reports which claimed that Dassault was forced to choose Reliance by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite the latter having almost no experience in the aviation sector.
These reports surfaced after French investigative website Mediapart quoted the notes of a meeting between Dassault management and workers' representatives, which described the choice of Reliance as "imperative and compulsory".
Following the report, Dsaault had issued a clarification stating that it had “freely chosen" to form a joint venture with Reliance. But that stance was contradicted recently by former French president Francois Hollande, under whose watch the Rafale deal was signed.
Hollande said last month that France had "no choice" but to join with Reliance after it was pushed by the Indian government – comments which were seized upon by Indian Opposition parties.
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