Navy to ink Rafale M & additional Scorpene submarines deal by next month: Adm Tripathi

New Delhi: Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi has expressed confidence that the maritime force will sign the contract for acquisition of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft and three additional Scorpène-class submarines by the end of next month at the earliest.

He said the Navy was at a “very advanced stage of the acquisition process”.

“Rafale Marine is at an advanced stage of negotiations and is only one level short of taking it to the Cabinet Committee on Security. Since it is a government-to-government deal, it should not take much time,” said CNS.

He further said that India is also in the process of buying three more Scorpene-class submarines for the Navy, which are diesel-powered attack submarines. These submarines are also made in France.

The Navy Chief said India will induct around 95 ships in the next 10 years as the focus has been to build a future-ready naval force by 2047

that will consolidate India’s resurgence as a maritime power and ensure credible deterrence

On the Cabinet Committee on Security’s approval to build two nuclear attack submarines (SSNs), Admiral Tripathi said the plan is to commission the first one by 2036-37 and the second one in about two years from then.

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