L’India si prepara a effettuare un importante ordine di missili da crociera SCALP dalla Francia

>The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) recommendation to acquire 114 Rafale fighter-bombers from Dassault Aviation for an estimated €30 billion will be submitted to the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in the coming days. India Today, citing sources close to the matter, reports that “the program will then enter the phase of detailed technical and commercial negotiations. The final outlines of the agreement should emerge in the coming months.”

>Meanwhile, the Indian Ministry of Defence is preparing to finalize another order. Following Operation Sindoor, conducted last May against terrorist groups based in Pakistan, the IAF needs to replenish, and even increase, its ammunition stocks. Hence its intention to procure a new batch of SCALP cruise missiles [Long-Range Autonomous Conventional Cruise System] from MBDA for €300 million.

>With the unit price of a SCALP being 850,000 euros [according to the latest known figures], the Indian order would be for at least 300 units.

>This “follows the proven effectiveness of these missiles during Operation Sindoor, in which they enabled precise strikes against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan,” notes the specialist website Indian Defence News.

>Moreover, the success of Operation Sindoor transformed what should have been a simple resupply into a significant strengthening of the IAF’s deep strike capabilities.

>In any case, according to the Indian press, negotiations between New Delhi and Paris are “progressing rapidly” and an announcement could be made during an official visit by President Macron to India, scheduled for February 20.

>As a reminder, with a range of between 250 and 400 km, the SCALP carries a 450 kg tandem shaped charge of the “BROACH” type. Flying subsonically, it reaches an altitude of 30 meters before impacting its target. It is primarily used to strike high-value targets.

>In addition to the SCALP, the Indian Ministry of Defence is also considering ordering long-range METEOR air-to-air missiles, not only for the IAF’s Rafales but also for those that the Indian Navy will receive within three or four years.

Selling shit to a Russian ally, what could possibly go wrong? 

India got such a hodge podge of weapon systems, Chinese, Russian, the USA, EU, etc. I wonder if all of those weapons work well together