NEW DELHI, April 28: French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said on Monday a multi-billion dollar deal to sell submarines to the Indian navy could be sealed by the end of the year.

The contract, which analysts say could be worth $1.8 billion, involves the manufacture of six Scorpene SSK-class submarines at a naval dockyard in Bombay.

“It is very likely to reach fruition point by the end of the year,” Mr Alliot-Marie told a news conference after talks with her Indian counterpart, George Fernandes, and chiefs of the army, navy and air force.

France is also bidding for the sale of Mirage fighter planes for the Indian air force, but officials said those negotiations were in a preliminary stage. India bought around 40 Mirage aircraft in the 1980s.

“I haven’t come here to sign a contract, I came here to demonstrate the intensity of our wish to maintain our partnership and enhance it,” the French minister said.

India, which largely relied on the former Soviet Union for its arms supplies, has since turned to Israel, Britain and the US for new military equipment.

The deal will be the first time the Indian navy will be buying submarines from France. It currently operates a largely Russian fleet and a few German-built submarines. —Reuters