Global Security Newswire
Daily News on Nuclear, Biological & Chemical Weapons, Terrorism and Related Issues
France Sells Nuclear-Capable Aircraft to India
India last week finalized a $15 billion agreement to acquire 126 nuclear-capable fighter planes produced in France, the Vancouver Sun reported (see GSN, May 19, 2011).
The Rafale aircraft can exceed the speed of sound and can be used as a fighter jet or bomber.
India would be the first outside nation to buy the Dassault Aviation product, which has previously been rejected by Brazil, Morocco, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, according to the newspaper. Other aircraft generally need less upkeep than the Rafale, which is used by the French air force.
India is working to establish a nuclear triad of land-, air- and sea-based weapons (Jonathan Manthorpe, Vancouver Sun, Feb. 6).
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France
This article provides an overview of France’s historical and current policies relating to nuclear, chemical, biological and missile proliferation.
