The plan to purchase 114 Rafale fighter jets from French aviation firm Dassault was accepted by the Defence Procurement Board (DPB), which is a significant boost to India’s defence capability. The proposal will now be presented for approval at the upcoming Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which is presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, according to defense sources. The final permission is expected to come from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet Committee on Security, according to other sources. The Indian Air Force submitted a formal application for 114 more Rafale fighter jets to the Defense Ministry last year.
The final deal on 114 fighter jets between France and India might be signed as early as next month, according to sources. To offer the Indian Navy more power, India and France negotiated a historic Rs 63,000 crore deal in April of last year to purchase 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets. An intergovernmental agreement will govern the purchase process, guaranteeing direct deliveries without the need for middlemen. 22 single-seater aircraft and four twin-seater trainers are part of the agreement, and deliveries are anticipated to be finished by 2031.
A major step toward bolstering India’s aerospace manufacturing capabilities and bolstering international supply chains was taken in June when Dassault Aviation and Tata Advanced Systems Limited signed four production transfer agreements to manufacture the Rafale fighter aircraft fuselage in India. Up to two complete fuselages per month are anticipated to be delivered by the facility, with the first fuselage sections projected to come off the production line in FY2028.
