Indian sources indicate the cancellation of the MMRCA contract with France which was signed in early September for the delivery of 126 Rafale fighter jets should France refuse to deliver the Mistral Class warship to Russia. The MMRCA contract with France is valued at around $20 to $23 billion.
India has the power to cancel the contract since India has not signed a binding agreement with France yet. India will most likely sign the agreement early next year. What’s disturbing for India is the cancellation of the delivery of the Mistral class warship helicopter carrier which was built by France for Russia. The warship is ready waiting to be delivered to Russia.
French President Francois Hollande blamed Russia for the invasion in eastern Ukraine and the downing of a commercial airliner by separatists with Russian help for the cancellation of the Mistral delivery.
It is a very remote possibility that the cancellation of the warship delivery to Russia by France might make India cancel the MMRCA deal which is undergoing final price negotiations. The Mistral warship dispute has put France in a tight spot and its reliability as a weapons supplier is in question.
The French media had warned that France risked losing the reputation of being a reliable arms supplier to India and the world. Its decision of not to deliver the Mistral Class Helicopter Carrier to Russia might put India under Russian pressure to back off from the MMRCA deal.
Russia’s Ambassador to India, Alexander M. Kadakin had recently slammed India’s decision to proceed with the MMRCA contract with France in the face of a blatant contract violation. He went on to say that the French Fighter jet could be shot down like a mosquito by Chinese made Sukhoi Jets should there ever be a conflict.
Russia as an old ally of India has lost the military clout over India since India started diversifying its arms purchase from the US, Israel and the European Union. It cannot force but only hope that India would take the Mistral lesson into consideration and cancel the $20 billion contract to teach France a lesson. The IAF’s fighting force levels are depleting and it is highly unlikely that India would cancel the MMRCA deal. As a matter of fact, the Modi Govt. has taken up the MMRCA deal on a priority basis and they hope to seal the deal early next year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will be visiting India next month and both countries are likely to take a call on the joint development of the FGFA 5th generation stealth fighter programme.
Original source
http://www.bd-pratidin.com/international/2015/03/31/71930
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March 31, 2015 at 11:16 pm