Dassault hopes to sign India deal this year

India's military had previously postponed a plan to buy 126 of the Rafale fighters

Dassault Aviation Chief Executive Eric Trappier said he hoped to sign a deal to sell Rafale fighter jets to India by the end of the year following the election of pro-business candidate Narendra Modi as the country's new prime minister.

India's military had previously postponed a plan to buy 126 of the fighters, a deal estimated at $15 billion, until the 2014/15 financial year due to budget constraints.

"It's reassuring for us, because I think that will accelerate the process further," Trappier told journalists on the sidelines of the Ebace business aviation show.