India has taken a major step towards acquiring 114 Rafale fighter jets by issuing a Letter of Request (LoR) to France for a government-to-government deal estimated at around Rs 3.25 lakh crore.
The move is significant not only because of the scale of the purchase but also because it could see Rafale fighter aircraft being manufactured in India for the first time. According to top Defence Ministry sources, the LoR was sent by the ministry's Acquisition Wing to French authorities last week, setting the stage for what could become one of India’s biggest defence procurement programmes.
The proposed agreement envisages 94 of the 114 Rafale jets being produced in India by French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation in partnership with an Indian company. French officials are expected to respond to India’s request within the next two to three months, after which formal negotiations are likely to accelerate. Sources indicated that both countries are aiming to conclude discussions and finalise the deal within the next year.
Make in India push could bring Rafale production to Indian soil
The latest development is happening in light of the ongoing efforts made by India to boost the Indian Air Force in view of the deficiency of fighter squadrons. The induction of 4.5-generation-plus Rafale aircraft is seen as a step toward filling the void.
It must be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is planning to visit France in the middle of June. The acquisition of Rafale will certainly figure high on the agenda of discussions during the visit. This deal will help deepen defence cooperation between the two nations and will also help India realize its Make in India project aimed at promoting local manufacture.
To date, the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy have ordered 62 Rafales. With the recent order for 114 jets, the number of Rafales ordered by India will come up to 176 jets. Besides, the Indian Navy has also announced plans to procure an additional 31 jets to boost maritime security. Thus, the number of Rafales in India may exceed 200.
Fighter squadron shortage drives massive acquisition plan
The idea started gaining momentum once the Defence Ministry carried out an extensive review of the capabilities of the Air Force in terms of its fighters soon after Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh took charge in early 2024. Since then, efforts have been made to quickly boost fighter strength.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the Indian Air Force’s proposal to procure 114 Rafale jets more than four months ago. Meanwhile, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh is currently in France and is expected to visit Dassault Aviation facilities where the fighter aircraft are manufactured.
For the first time, Rafale aircraft could be manufactured outside France with nearly 50 per cent localisation. “First time ‘Make in India,’ Rafale outside France backed up by a government-to-government agreement, no intermediaries, full transparency in the project itself, G2G significant levels of localisation, and full authority to integrate Indian weapons and Indian systems are the highlights of this programme. It also enables us to induct fighter aircraft relatively quickly because the first of the Rafale Marines will start coming in ’28, and after that, over a period of time, you will see that about three-and-a-half years from now, the first of these Air Force Rafales will also start coming,” the Defence Secretary had told ANI after the DAC cleared the proposal in February.
(With inputs from ANI)
TMC Expels 2 MLAs Amid Signature Forgery Case: What Is the Bengal Assembly Row About?