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 is likely be cleared by the Defence Ministry this week – days before France President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Delhi – sources told NDTV Tuesday morning.
Once approved, the deal will not only be India's biggest ever weapons agreement but will also include provisions to manufacture a certain number, around 100, of them in India, which will involve the transfer of high-grade fighter jet tech and a strategic partnership to enhance the 'make in India' programme.
And, once confirmed, 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 in the world and known for executing air superiority and precision strike missions.
India already has 36 Rafales – the Air Force took 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 MRO, or 'maintenance, repair, overhaul' agreement.
NDTV reported in April last year that delivery is likely by 2030.
NDTV Explains | India's 63,000 Crore Rafale 'M' Deal. What Is It, Why Is It Important
The 'M' version Rafales will be deployed on board aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya.
The Rafale M multirole fighter jet that will soon be part of the Navy (File).
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, i.e., the Falcons.
Rafale's India combat experience
The IAF fighters have already seen combat; they participated in Operation Sindoor, India's military response to the Pahalgam terror attack, in May last year, and in Ladakh.
VIDEO | Air Force's 'Sindoor Formation' On R-Day With Rafale, MiG-29s, Su-30s
Rafales deployed during Op Sindoor, are believed to have launched the SCALP, an air-launched cruise missile developed that can strike hardened targets over 250km away with extreme precision, and have been used in various conflicts worldwide, including the Iraq war and in Libya.
The SCAP deep strike precision missilePhoto Credit: MBDA Systems
It can also carry Meteor long range air-to-air missiles and the Hammer, a stand-off strike weapon, and the Spectra, an advanced e-warfare suite, as well as advanced radar and targeting systems.
Rafale technology transfer deal
Meanwhile, 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 military.
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 that are being developed by the Defence Research and Development Institute, or DRDO.
These - styled as twin-engine, deck-based fighters - will be the naval counterpart of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, or AMCA, being developed for the Air Force.
