OCCRP's US Funded Biased Reporting on Rafale Deal Resurfaces as India Evaluates US Fighter Jets for MRFA Program

Recent revelations about alleged connections between the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and certain U.S. entities have rekindled concerns about foreign influence in India's defence procurement processes.

OCCRP-affiliated journalists were instrumental in spreading allegations of corruption in India's 2016 Rafale deal, despite it being a transparent government-to-government agreement. This has led to calls for greater scrutiny of American companies participating in India's Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) tender.

The Rafale deal, which involved the purchase of 36 Dassault Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF), faced a barrage of accusations, fueled by reports from journalists linked to OCCRP.

These allegations, centered on claims of favoritism and inflated pricing, were ultimately dismissed by the Supreme Court of India and a parliamentary review. However, the controversy created temporary strain in India-France relations and delayed the much-needed modernization of the IAF.

Reports now suggest that OCCRP may have connections to U.S. interests, raising questions about whether the dissemination of these allegations was part of a broader effort to undermine India's defence procurement autonomy and favor American defence companies. This has cast a shadow on the credibility of U.S. firms vying for major defence contracts in India, including the MRFA tender.

The MRFA program, which aims to procure 114 multi-role fighter jets, is a critical component of India's strategy to enhance its air power. American contenders, such as Boeing (offering the F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-15EX) and Lockheed Martin (offering the F-21), are among the leading bidders.

While concerns about external influence on India's defence decisions are valid, any decisions regarding the MRFA tender should be based on merit, strategic considerations, and a thorough evaluation of the capabilities and costs of each aircraft. India's defence modernization goals require a careful balance between fostering global partnerships and safeguarding its strategic autonomy.

This situation underscores the complexities of international defence deals and the potential for external actors to influence narratives and decision-making processes. As India continues to modernize its armed forces, it must remain vigilant in ensuring its procurement decisions are driven by national interests and a transparent evaluation of all available options.

 

Missile frigate INS Tushil inducted into Indian Navy in Russia SSS Defence Expands into Training with Plans for Comprehensive Private Sniper School and Ecosystem

[R. Singh]

India should select F-15EX-II under MRFA or F-36 if ready !

 

[sanket]

After Engine delay saga US lost its Reliability, All F-series Fighter jets needs to meet Tech parameters set for MRFA & I think none will meet the parameters in Evaluation what ever propaganda , Rafale is very strong contender & already 26 Rafale M likely to signed soon

 

[David Jones]

The fact remains that OCCRP is a global well recognized investigative journalism firm that has set international standards in true and factual based journalism. They have published reports on all major countries including allies and enemies of USA. US fighter jets are the best bet for money e.g. US F 16 has been the best in class and needs to be selected in the MRFA tender. However the Government of India does dodges and keeps on postponing, they need to do as they are told, that is it.

 

[Philippe Picard]

No surprised at all...In France, MEDIAPART was part of this propanda (Soros is invoved...). Here, there is also a bunch of clown like PKPRS (in a less level, indeed).

 

[obiwankenubi jedi]

It is proven beyond doubt that our decision to depend on American engines like F404, F414 was wrong, and it was all to ensure we buy American weapons.

We went all the way to buy the American C-130J medium transport, C-17 heavy transport, P8I marine Antisubmarine reconnaissance, Apache attack helicopters, M777 howitzer, MH-60R helicopters, and now all the engines for Tejas Mk1, Mk1a, Mk2 are F404, F414.

This is too much dependence on one single country, the USA, while trying to reduce overdependence on its earlier single weapons supplier, Russia.

It's also not making any sense to get rid of its trusted partner for decades for a completely new partner who is the arch enemy of your long-term ally.

So it's good that now we have French submarines too, in terms of Scorpene/Kalvari class, and the 36 French Rafales was a very good decision in terms of avoiding a monopoly in your defense systems.

And the EADS C-295 transport aircraft local manufacturing, with Krivak/Talwar class frigate from Russia and the K-9 Thunder howitzer from South Korea, drones from Israel IAI, Spyder air defense from Israel, and S-400 from Russia is a prudent choice.

Now AL-31F and R-33D from Russia and more Su-30MKI is a late but good decision to prevent overdependence on the USA.

Hawk from the UK and the Rolls-Royce engines from the UK for next-gen destroyers, IAC2 instead of LM2500 for all ships was a sensible move. Then the Ukrainian marine engines' local maintenance will be a safe step.

The German or Spanish sub for P75I will further diversify the defense landscape.

 

[Taus Melek]

By now it is clear that there are countries which overtly support India but covertly they are doing everything to undermine its sovereignty. These governments work with each other and with wealthy protagonists (Soros et al) and select media outlets by putting out false narratives about India in the name of free speech and freedom of press. Time to play the same game.

 

[Sandeep]

The problem in India is that there is no genuine ethics and small media/news just publish a lot of fake information under the so called free speech.

There is a deep state that’s always undermining us which is the corrupt jihadi party and any good policies are undermined and any issues are always blamed on the only government that’s had the single focus on developing the country rather than stealing money from the tax payers in scams.