India Set to Clear Record ₹3.25 Lakh Crore Deal for 114 Rafale Jets Ahead of Macron Visit

India Set to Clear Record ₹3.25 Lakh Crore Deal for 114 Rafale Jets Ahead of Macron Visit

India is poised to sign its largest-ever defence contract, with the Defence Ministry expected to clear a ₹3.25 lakh crore deal this week for the purchase of 114 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force, sources told NDTV on Tuesday. The timing is significant, coming just days before French President Emmanuel Macron’s scheduled visit to New Delhi.

Once approved, the agreement will mark India’s biggest weapons acquisition to date and a major expansion of the Air Force’s combat fleet under the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) programme. The deal is also expected to include provisions for manufacturing a substantial number of the jets—around 100—in India, involving the transfer of advanced fighter aircraft technology and a strategic industrial partnership aligned with the government’s ‘Make in India’ push.

The acquisition would further cement India’s position as one of the largest operators of the Rafale outside France. The twin-engine, multi-role aircraft is regarded among the most capable fighters in service globally, designed for air superiority, deep strike, and precision attack missions.

India currently operates 36 Rafale jets, with the Indian Air Force having taken delivery of the final ‘C’ variant in December 2024. In addition, New Delhi has already signed a ₹63,000 crore deal for 26 Rafale ‘M’ naval variants, which will be deployed aboard aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya.

If the new deal is cleared as expected, total Indian Rafale orders will rise to 186 aircraft.

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Earlier NDTV reports indicated that deliveries under the MRFA deal could begin later this decade, with completion likely by 2030. The agreement is also expected to include extensive support arrangements, covering maintenance, repairs, overhaul, logistics, and training through a long-term MRO framework.

The Rafale fleet in India has already seen operational use. The aircraft were deployed during Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack in May last year, as well as during heightened tensions along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. The jets are believed to have carried SCALP air-launched cruise missiles, capable of striking hardened targets more than 250 kilometres away with high precision.

Rafales are also equipped to carry Meteor long-range air-to-air missiles, HAMMER stand-off weapons, and the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite, alongside advanced radar and targeting systems.

Parallel to the acquisition, India and France have moved to deepen industrial cooperation. In June last year, Dassault Aviation and Tata Advanced Systems Limited announced four major production transfer agreements aimed at accelerating Rafale manufacturing for the Indian military. Tata is set to establish a high-end production facility in Hyderabad to manufacture key structural sections of the aircraft, including major fuselage components. The first sections are expected to roll out in 2028, with a planned output of two complete fuselages per month. Final assembly will continue at Dassault’s facility in Mérignac, near Bordeaux.

Alongside the Rafale induction, the Navy is also looking ahead to the future, with plans to induct indigenous fifth-generation, twin-engine, deck-based fighters being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). These aircraft will form the naval variant of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, currently under development for the Air Force.

Together, the Rafale expansion and indigenous fighter projects underline a significant transformation underway in India’s military aviation capabilities, combining immediate combat readiness with long-term self-reliance. (VoM)