Indian Rafale Fighter Contract 'Soon Enough'; Dassault CEO

Dassault will soon sign the 36 Rafale fighter jets contract with India.

"I think we approach the goal with a first contract for 36 aircraft. It will lead certainly to others later. I am quite optimistic about signing fast enough," Eric Trappier, CEO Dassault Systems said after he received the Industrial of the Year award by Usine Nouvelle magazine Tuesday.

"I think there will be a fourth contract that will materialize next year," he has said, however, warning that "nothing is as it is not signed," he added.

The negotiations which commenced in May this year to meet the “urgent requirements” of the Indian Air Force have not reached fruition despite several rounds of meetings. 

A source familiar with Indian government procurement said last month that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) may not agree to a price substantially more than what was proposed under the earlier negotiations for 126 fighters as it could be afraid of adverse comments from the government’s accounting watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). In the past, the CAG has been critical of defence procurement deals which have had severe cost-overruns.