Will deliver Rafale fighter jets to India from 2019: Dassault CEO

Orlando: Dassault Aviation will deliver its Rafale fighter jets to India from 2019 and may see new orders in coming months, Chief Executive Eric Trappier told Reuters ahead of the world's largest business jet show in Orlando on Monday.

India signed a deal with Dassault in 2016 for the transfer of 36 Rafale jets but the deal has since faced criticism from opposition parties who allege wrongdoing in one of the biggest defence deals. 

Earlier, Trappier had said that Dassault Aviation's joint venture with Reliance represented around 10 per cent of the offset investments



under the Rafale jet deal.

"We're in talks with about 100 Indian firms, including around 30 with which we've already confirmed partnerships," Trappier had told AFP.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who visited Paris last week, reiterated the government's claim that it had no idea that Dassault Aviation would team up with Reliance Group, run by Anil Ambani. 

Several reports say Dassault was forced to choose Reliance by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite it having almost no experience in the aviation sector.