Article Posted on : - Jun 27, 2014

French multirole fighter Rafale.

NEW DELHI (PTI): The multi-billion dollar Rafale combat aircraft deal is expected to figure prominently during talks French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will have with Indian leaders during his two-day visit to New Delhi starting Monday.

The two sides are also likely to discuss the over Rs 20,000 crore Maitri short-range surface-to-air missile (SR-SAM) system.

The Rafale deal, which is in the final stages of negotiations between the two governments and estimated to be over Rs 60,000 crore, is expected to come up during the talks along with the SR-SAM project, sources said.

India had selected the French combat aircraft two years ago but the negotiations are still continuing between the Indian Defence Ministry and the French firm Dassault Aviation as there have been issues over pricing and work-sharing between the two sides.