Rafale fighter jet deal a great decision, says Manohar Parrikar

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Saturday that the Rafale fighter jet deal was a great decision taken on the terms and conditions that are better.

The statement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that he had ordered 36 "ready-to-fly" French-made Rafale fighter jets to modernise the country's ageing warplane fleet.

Hailing Modi's move to seal the long-pending deal, Parrikar said, "India has finally broken the ice over the deal which has been pending for the last 17 years."

The defence minister added that the French fighter jets would be inducted in the Indian Air Force (IAF) in a span of two years.