The Defence Ministry is likely to clear a Rs 3.25 lakh-crore deal to buy 114 French-made Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force's Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft programme this week, days before France President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Delhi.
Once approved, the deal will not only be India’s biggest ever weapons agreement but will also include provisions to manufacture around 100 Rafales in India, which will involve the transfer of high-grade fighter jet tech and a strategic partnership to enhance the “Make in India” programme.
This deal will also underline India's status as one of the largest non-French operators of the Rafale, a twin-engined, multi-role fighter jet widely regarded as one of the deadliest and known for its air superiority and precision strikes.
India has 36 Rafales with the Air Force taking delivery of the last “C” variant in December 2024, and has ordered 26 naval variants, the “M” version, in a deal worth Rs 63,000 crore. That deal included the purchase of four twin-seat trainers and facilitation of fleet maintenance, logistics support and personnel training under a “maintenance, repair, overhaul” (MRO) agreement. The M version Rafales will be deployed on board aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya.
The delivered C version jets have been divided between No. 17 Squadron in Ambala, i.e. the Golden Arrows, and the No. 101 in Bengal's Hasimara, the Falcons. These IAF fighters were part of Operation Sindoor, India's military response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Rafales deployed during Op Sindoor, are believed to have launched the SCALP, an air-launched cruise missile developed that can strike hardened targets over 250 km away with extreme precision, and have been used in various conflicts worldwide, including the Iraq war and in Libya.
It can also carry Meteor long range air-to-air missiles, the Hammer, a stand-off strike weapon, and the Spectra, an advanced e-warfare suite, as well as advanced radar and targeting systems.
In June last year, France and India also announced four landmark production transfer deals between manufacturers Dassault Aviation and Tata Advanced Systems Limited, which should significantly speed up delivery of a backlog of Rafales to the Indian Air Force.
Tata Advanced Systems is expected to set up a cutting-edge production facility in Hyderabad for the manufacture of key structural sections of the French fighter, including the lateral shells of the rear fuselage, the complete rear section, the central fuselage, and the front section. The first fuselage segments will roll off the manufacturing line in 2028.
The goal is to deliver two complete fuselages per month with final assembly of the Rafale fighter to take place at Dassault’s production facility in Merignac, near Bordeaux. The Navy is also planning to induct indigenous, fifth-gen fighter jets, which are being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
Also read: MoD to discuss ₹3.25 lakh crore 114 Rafale deal this week
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