&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "India approves largest-ever defence acquisition of 114 Rafale fighter jets")
India's Defence Procurement Board (DPB) has approved the proposal to acquire 114 French fighter jets, Rafale, from Dassault Aviation. The deal was approved by the Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar, and has an estimated value of around ₹3.25 lakh crore. It is considered to be the largest acquisition in the IAF. This is just the first step towards the formalisation of the procurement. The proposal will be further taken up by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), India’s apex military procurement body headed by Rajanath Singh, and finally, it will seek the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The development comes just ahead of the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to the country. Macron will be visiting the country on a two-day trip from February 17- 19 to India to launch the India-France Year of Innovation and Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit.
The procurement is likely to happen under an intergovernmental agreement and without any intermediaries. If the deal is approved, then 12-18 aircraft will be acquired starting from 2030, and the rest will be produced by Rafael with an Indian contractor in India, with an indigenous production ranging between 30 per cent and 60 per cent, i.e., Indian-made weapons, missiles, and secure data links. Dassault Aviation has set up a maintenance and repair centre in Noida, and it has been operational since 2025.
IAF already has 36 Rafale fighter jets, and the Indian Navy has ordered the purchase of 26 more marine versions of the Rafale in April 2025 for the navy to be flown from the aircraft carriers. They are expected to be delivered between 2029 and 2031. Once this current 114-jet deal is completed, the total Rafale fleet in India will reach 176 aircraft. India operates roughly 29-31 fighter jet squadrons compared to the authorised 42 squadrons due to the retirement of the older MiGs, leaving the IAF with reduced capabilities.
