DASSAULT AVIATION PUSHES FOR CARRIERBASED FIGHTERS

After acquiring the 36 Rafale jets for $9.3 billion, French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation is now eyeing the naval contract of 57 aircraft that is up for grabs. The Ministry of Defence has issued an RFI in January 2017 seeking response from various manufacturers to equip aircraft carriers with fighter jets, shelving the original plan to go in for the naval version of the indigenous Tejas. Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation, said the French aviation company will pitch for the naval contract. “We are the only company to have strictly the same aircraft for our air force and for our navy. Our Rafale for the navy and the air force are same,” he said. Early last year, a team from France had given a detailed presentation to senior officers of the Indian Navy on the subject.