French officials visited India last week to discuss over USD 5.5 billion Rafale-M deal: Sources

New Delhi [India], August 28 : For the first time after India cleared the proposal to buy 26 Rafale Marine aircraft for the Indian Navy, a team headed by French defence ministry officials visited India to discuss the deal.
The meeting took place last week, the sources told ANI.
The French team that came to India was headed by an official who is in charge of Asia in their Directorate General of Armament, they said.
In the negotiations with France, the Indian Navy would be represented by a two-star officer.
The two sides have to form a contract negotiating team in a similar way as they had done during the Indian Air Force deal in 2016.
India announced the plan to buy 26 Rafale Marines officially after clearing a proposal in the Defence Acquisition Council meeting.
The Indian side also has to send a letter of request or a request for proposal to the French government for the deal and work is in progress to discuss the details, sources said.
India and France have held multiple meetings prior to the approval given by the defence ministry. The French Rafale once more defeated the American F-18 to bag the Indian contract.
The French side has stated that if required, it can increase the rate of production to 30 aircraft per year from the existing 18 per year.
The French have received multiple orders from different countries after India first selected it for its requirement for 126 Multirole combat aircraft deal where all participants were made to go through a rigorous trial procedure.
India would be requesting the integration of its indigenous missiles including the Astra air-to-air missile as part of the package from France.
The configuration of the aircraft is expected to be similar to what has been provided to the Indian Air Force.