A high-level meeting of the Ministry of Defense is scheduled for this week to discuss the neighborhood ₹According to an ANI report, $3.25 lakh crore to buy 114 Rafale fighter jets from France, which would be manufactured in India with an indigenous content of around 30%.
Under the proposal, the deal would include around 12-18 Rafale jets that the Indian Air Force will acquire in a take-off condition, the report said, citing people briefed on the development.
The proposal, to be discussed in the next two to three days, includes India’s request for France to help integrate Indian weapons and indigenous systems into French aircraft under a government-to-government agreement.
The source codes will remain with the French side only, the report said.
India is continuing an agreement with France where both the US and Russia offered their fifth-generation fighter jets, including the F-35 and Su-57, to the Indian Air Force.
The original content in the aircraft would be approximately 30%. Typically, the original content required for Make in India projects ranges from 50 to 60%.
India’s largest defense deal
Once approved, the proposal will become India’s largest defense deal, taking the number of Rafale jets in the Indian military to 176, the report said. The Indian Air Force currently has 36 units and the Indian Navy ordered 26 last year.
A few months ago, an Indian Air Force statement (SoC) was submitted to the Ministry of Defense outlining a proposal for 114 Rafale jets, a news portal reported. After approval from the Ministry of Defence, the proposal will have to be approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security.
The move to push the proposal came shortly after the Rafale performed exceptionally well against Pakistan in Operation Sindoor, successfully defeating China’s PL-15 air-to-air missiles using the Spectra Electronic Warfare suite, the report said.
The French are planning to set up a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility for the M-88 engines used by Rafale aircraft in Hyderabad. The French company Dassault has already created a company that deals with the maintenance of fighters of French origin. In addition, Indian airlines like Tata are expected to be involved in the manufacturing process, the report said.
According to the news portal, India urgently needs to launch fighter jets to counter the growing threat perception in the region. The IAF’s combat aircraft are expected to consist mainly of Su-30 MKIs, Rafales and indigenous fighter projects. India has already ordered 180 LCA Mark 1A aircraft and also plans to introduce the original fifth-generation fighters on a large scale after 2035.
