The Ministry of Defence has received a proposal from the Indian Air Force (IAF) to obtain 114 Made in India Rafale fighter jets. These jets will be made by France’s Dassault Aviation and Indian aerospace companies like Tata.
A report by news agency states that the proposal is expected to worth around Rs 2 lakh crore. The Defence Procurement Board, led by the Defence Secretary, will discuss it in the coming weeks. The report also noted that 60 % of the aircraft parts will be produced in India.
India Sign Deal of Rs 2 lakh crore to buy 114 Made in India Rafale Jets
Additionally, the French side plans to establish a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul facility for the M-88 engines of the Rafale jets in Hyderabad, Telangana, according to ANI.
“The Statement of Case (SoC) or proposal for the 114 Rafale jets, prepared by the Indian Air Force, was received by the Defence Ministry a few days ago. It is currently under review by various departments, including Defence Finance. After discussions, the proposal will be forwarded to the Defence Procurement Board, followed by the Defence Acquisition Council,” defence officials said.
Proposal put forth after Op Sindoor
Officials indicated that the proposal emerged after the Made in India Rafales performed well during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. This operation occurred after a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 innocent people. They said that the Rafales, equipped with the Spectra Electronic warfare suite, effectively countered Chinese PL-15 air-to-air missiles used by Pakistan during the operation.
Currently, the IAF possesses 36 Rafale jets. The Indian Navy has placed a separate order for 26 Rafales. The new order would increase the Indian defence forces’ stock of Rafales to 176.
The IAF requires more fighter jets due to its shrinking fleet. At present, the IAF operates Rafales, Sukhoi Su-30s, and HAL Tejas, which are 4.5-generation aircraft. It also uses Dassault Mirage 2000s and Mikoyan MiG-29s, which are fourth-generation fighter aircraft.
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