Anonymous defense officials told The Sunday Express that New Delhi is willing to buy a small number of Dassault Rafale fighters is because the aircraft has been identified as the platform to take over the nuclear strike role from the IAF’s Mirage 2000 fighters.
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By Tim Felce (Airwolfhound) (Rafale – RIAT 2013) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
“The French Mirage-2000s have been modified for the delivery of our strategic arsenal. France has continued to provide maintenance, spares and technical support for these Mirages, which may not have been the case with some other foreign countries. We expect the same degree of cooperation from France when we modify and use the Rafales for that role,” said an official.