NEW DELHI: The government on Saturday announced the selection of the Navy Rafale to equip the Indian Navy with the latest generation fighter aircraft.The 26 Naval variant of Rafale jets from France will eventually join the 36 Rafale already in service, the French aerospace company Dassault Aviation has said.

The decision comes after a successful trial campaign held in India, during which the Navy Rafale demonstrated that it fully met the Indian Navy’s operational requirements and was perfectly suited to the specificities of its aircraft carrier.

India on Thursday cleared proposals to procure 26 Naval variant of Rafale jets from France and three French-designed Scorpene class submarines on a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi began a two-day high-profile visit to Paris.The procurement proposals were approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the defence ministry said.It said the price and other terms of purchase will be negotiated with the France government after taking into account all relevant aspects, including comparative procurement price of similar aircraft by other countries.Further, the integration of Indian-designed equipment and establishment of a Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) Hub for various systems will be incorporated into the contract documents after due negotiations.The DAC also approved the proposal to lay down guidelines for achieving the desired indigenous content in all categories of capital acquisition cases.Four of the 26 Rafale-M jets, the naval variant of the deck-based platform, will be trainer aircraft, sources in the defence establishment said.The delivery of the aircraft will begin within three years of signing of the contract, they said, adding it may take close to one year to seal the final deal as detailed price negotiations are to be undertaken.(With agency inputs)