France sells weapons to India amid conflict with Pakistan

France has signed a contract to supply 26 Dassault Rafale fighter jets to India.

New Delhi is expected to receive the fighters by 2030.

The agreement also provides for maintenance and repair of Indian aircraft engines, sensors, and weapons.

For reference, India also operates Russian MiG-29K aircraft alongside French fighters. As of 2023, the country had 42 of these fighters, but almost half of them are in reserve.

The issue of renewing and expanding India's fighter fleet has remained open since 2018.

Russia was one of the main contenders in this tender, offering India to produce MiG-35 fighter jets at its factories.

However, in 2023, the head of the Russian United Aviation Corporation, Yuri Slyusar, announced that the tender had been postponed.