The negotiations over the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets have entered the final stages as both India and France have managed to scale down their differences over the pricing.

The development came nearly 4 months after French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a memorandum of agreement (MoU) to purchase 36 Rafale combat jets. The Indian side has been negotiating hard to bring down the price of the Rafale deal. The price for 36 Rafales, as per the UPA tender, keeping the cost escalation and dollar rate in mind, comes to Rs 65,000 crore.

France launched the Rafale programme as it wanted to deploy an omnirole fighter to replace 7 different types of combat aircraft operated by it.

The Rafale is a twin-engine warplane capable of carrying out a variety of missions ? sea and ground attack, air superiority and air defence, reconnaissance and nuclear strike deterrence.

In 2001, the Indian Air Force projected a prerequisite for medium, multi-role combat aircraft to replace ageing Soviet-era fighter jets in its fleet. In Aug 2007, India floated a global tender to purchase 126 modern combat planes to boost the IAF's offensive capabilities.

In Jan 2012, Dassault Aviation, which manufactures the Rafale fighters emerged as the frontrunner for the contract over five international rivals. However, the tender was cancelled when Modi announced India would purchase 36 Rafales under a government-to-government deal.

Rafale specs

Wing span: 10.90 m

Length: 15.30 m

Height: 5.30 m

Overall empty weight: 10 tons

Max take-off weight: 24.5 tons

External load: 9.5 tons

Service ceiling: 50,000 ft