France has delivered its first Rafale fighter aircraft to India from a series of 36 aircraft purchased in a multi-million dollar deal in 2016.
Defense Minister Florence Parly and her Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh, who is on a three-day visit to France, attended a ceremony on Tuesday at the facilities of the aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation in Merignac, southwest France.
Ministers also plan to hold talks on defense cooperation and security issues in the Indo-Pacific region.
The $ 8.78 billion deal generated controversy in India last year with the main opposition party of the Indian National Congress accusing the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of buying the plane at almost three times the negotiated price when it was the ruling party before Modi came to power in 2014. The government denied having acted wrong.
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1509725/france-delivers-first-rafale-fighter-jet-to-india