Rafale fighter jet first look video: The video shared by the agency shows the fighter jet in stationary mode before a pilot takes position and the flight takes off in a whisker from the French Air Force base located northwest of Marseille.

Thirty six fighter jets Rafale fighter jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation in partnership with Reliance Infrastructure Ltd. will be delivered to India by 2019.

The Rafale fighter jets deal has hit the headlines ahead of Lok Sabha 2019 with the matter reaching the threshold of the Supreme Court. Amidst the ongoing row over the pricing and choice of the offset partner, a video has revealed the first look of the aircraft for the IAF. The French made twin-engine Rafale fighter jet took a test flight from Istres-Le Tube Air Base in France, an ANI report said. The video shared by the agency shows the fighter jet in stationary mode before a pilot takes position and the flight takes off in a whisker from the French Air Force base located northwest of Marseille.

Thirty six fighter jets Rafale fighter jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation in partnership with Reliance Infrastructure Ltd. will be delivered to India by 2019.

Congress has alleged that while the BJP-led NDA government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore, the erstwhile UPA government negotiated and finalised the deal in Rs 526 crore per fighter jet. The Centre yesterday submitted a 14-page document titled “Details of the steps in the decision making process leading to the award of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft order”. As per the document, the Centre followed the “Defence Procurement Procedure-2013” in procurement of the Rafale aircraft. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on August 24, 2016 approved the agreement which was arrived at after negotiations between the Indian and the French sides.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi has launched a scathing attack on Narendra Modi claiming that the Prime Minister forced the French company Dassault Aviation to select the Reliance group firm of Anil Ambani as an offset partner to help it “pocket” Rs 30,000 crore. The 14-page document cited the Defence Offset Guidelines and stated that the vendor is “free to select its Indian Offset Partners (IOPs) for implementing offset obligation”.

The document also addressed why state-owned PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) failed to become an offset partner in the deal as there were several unresolved issues it had with Dassault.