India orders 36 Rafales whilst waiting for MMRCA to be negotiated

India has decided that the operational requirements of the Indian Air Force dictates the need to buy 36 Rafale fighters off-the-shelf while continuing to negotiate the MMRCA contract.

A French air force Rafale aircraft breaks formation after refueling from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft assigned to the 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron (EARS) over an undisclosed 130317-F-BY961-185
By Capt. Jason Smith [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Both the Indian and French governments said further negotiations are still underway.

Source: Alert 5