The opposition party alleged that India had paid Rs 351 crore more for each jet than Egypt and Qatar.Р”Вassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier termed the contract as a clean and law-compliant deal. Rafale was chosen as the lowest bidder based on life-cycle cost, which is a combination of cost of acquisition, operating cost over a duration of 40 years and cost of transfer of technology. The Congress alleged the BJP government of causing a loss of Rs 12,632 crore by the Rafale deal. Flyaway Rafale jets sans firepower and weaponry meanwhile cost 81 million per unit for Air Force single-seat C- variant, 87.6 million for Air Force two-seat B- variant and 93.6 million for Navy. In addition it has the engine start capability to operate in Leh. Enhancements which are India-specific are helmet-mounted sight, radar warning receivers, flight data recorders with enough storage for 10 hours, infra-red search and track systems, jammers. It comes equipped with latest weapons and tailored for Indian needs. Nevertheless, as to why the GR9 should cost more to operate per flight hour than the Tornado has not been explained and should be questioned. The government had ordered the Rafales in September 2016. Costs According to a parliamentary reply by Peter Luff dated 14 September 2010, the cost per flight hour of operating the Tornado GR4 was Р’Р€35,000, the Harrier GR9 Р’Р€37,000 and the Typhoon FGR4 Р’Р€70,000. Bhamre had stated the same amount as the cost of the jet in the Lower House two years ago. Subhash Bhamre, minister of state for defence, said that the price per unit of the jet manufactured by the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation did not cover the cost of associated components, package, enhancements, and support and services. Therefore, compared to future F-35 lots, the Gripen would have slightly higher purchase price, but significantly lower flight hour costs. The USAF establishes a current cost per flight hour for its fleet of F-35As at 33,300, or slightly less. The opposition has cornered the Centre on the $8.7- billion aircraft deal with France. What we do know a little more about is the cost per flight hour, which is around 8,000.

In view of the ongoing controversy surrounding the Rafale jet deal, the government informed that the basic version of the Rafale jet would cost 670 crores.

Dassault rafale flight cost per hour