Dassault wins $20bn Indian fighter jet contract India has chosen France's Dassault Rafale as the preferred bidder in a hotly contested competition worth as much as $20bn to supply the Indian air force with advanced combat aircraft. The French aircraft has beaten the Eurofighter Typhoon in a bid to equip India with 126 multi-role fighter jets in one of the world's largest military contracts. The winning bid is expected to shape India's air power for the next three decades and serve as the bedrock of a strategic partnership. It also has the potential to reshape the European defence industry at a time when companies are suffering from cutbacks in their traditional developed markets. The news is a big boost for Dassault and for Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president, who faces an election this May and is a close ally of the Dassault group of companies, which also owns the pro-government Le Figaro newspaper. Shares in Dassault Aviation, maker of the Rafale, rose almost 20 per cent in Paris. If finalised, the deal would be the Rafale's first export success, which until now has been bought only by the French military.
The French aircraft has beaten the Eurofighter Typhoon in a bid to equip India with 126 multi-role fighter jets in one of the world's largest military contracts.
The winning bid is expected to shape India's air power for the next three decades and serve as the bedrock of a strategic partnership. It also has the potential to reshape the European defence industry at a time when companies are suffering from cutbacks in their traditional developed markets.
The news is a big boost for Dassault and for Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president, who faces an election this May and is a close ally of the Dassault group of companies, which also owns the pro-government Le Figaro newspaper.
Shares in Dassault Aviation, maker of the Rafale, rose almost 20 per cent in Paris. If finalised, the deal would be the Rafale's first export success, which until now has been bought only by the French military.
