The Indian Air Force’s proposal to buy an additional 114 Rafale fighter jets will be presented to the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) ahead of the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron is scheduled to visit India for the AI Summit in New Delhi from February 15-17.
The DAC is headed by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
Under the proposal, India will buy 18 standard Rafales from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation, while the remaining 96 fighters will be produced in collaboration with private companies in India. A number of these jets would be two-seat aircraft to be used for training.
The council is expected to approve the IAF’s Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) approval for the procurement of 114 Rafale multi-role fighter jets. Under India’s defense procurement rules, an AoN from the council is the first formal step in the acquisition process. Approval from the Defense Acquisition Council has already been granted.
After the DAC’s nod, the next step is trade negotiations; and then the plan will need clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Officials had earlier told Hindustan Times that the total increase in capacity from the proposed acquisition of 114 aircraft could cost around ₹3.25 cross.
India already has 36 Rafale fighters, which were also deployed during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. They were among the fighters who played a key role in India’s attacks on terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
Rafale jets are equipped with advanced weapon systems including Scalp missiles, Meteor air-to-air missiles and Hammer precision-guided bombs.
During Operation Sindoor, these weapons destroyed not only terrorist bases in Pakistan but also Pakistani aircraft.
Last October, Air Chief AP Singh strongly argued for faster induction of new military equipment into the Air Force, including fighter jets.
He said the Rafale is one option to strengthen the IAF’s combat fleet while highlighting the requirement to manufacture 114 multi-role fighter jets in India through a partnership between a foreign original equipment manufacturer and an Indian company.
The proposal comes before the DAC after it was given the green light by the Defense Acquisition Council last month. DPB is headed by Defense Minister Rajesh Kumar Singh.
(This article appeared first on HT)
