The Indian Air Force (IAF) proposed the purchase of 114 more Rafale fighter jets. This proposal will be placed before the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) (headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh) ahead of the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron, who is scheduled to visit India from February 15 to 17 for the AI Summit in New Delhi. As per the proposal, India will procure 18 Rafales from Dassault Aviation and the remaining fighter jets will be manufactured in India in partnership with the private sector companies. Most of the jets would be twin-seater aircrafts, which will be used for training purposes.
The first formal process in the acquisition is Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), which the council is expected to accord. The Defence Procurement Board (DPB) has already granted approval. After the DAC’s approval, the next step would be commercial negotiation after which the plan will need clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by the Prime Minister. The overall expenditure for the acquisition will be estimated at around ₹3.25 lakh crore. Currently, India has 36 Rafale jets, which were also used in Operation Sindoor displaying India’s exceptional military capability.
These fighter jets are equipped with Scalp missiles, Meteor air-to-air missiles and Hammer precision-guided bombs. During Operation Sindoor, these weapons destroyed terror bases in Pakistan and their aircrafts as well. Air Chief Marshal AP Singh also highlighted the importance of Rafale in IAF’s combat fleet.
