New Delhi: India on Friday signed a 7.8 billion deal with France to purchase 36 Rafalefighter jets, and the delivery of which will start in 36 months.

This significant deal was signed by French Defence Minister Jean Yves Le Drian, who arrived in New Delhi late last night and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon is its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Meteor air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 150 km.