A transformative chapter in Indo-French defense cooperation unfolds as India’s MoD is set to authorize the purchase of 114 Rafale fighters from France this week, totaling around 3.25 lakh crore rupees for the IAF. Reliable insiders confirm the deal’s progression amid calls for rapid fleet expansion.
Preceding Macron’s arrival, it heads to the PM-led CCS for ultimate sanction. The blueprint: 18 off-the-shelf from Dassault Aviation, 96 indigenously produced with twin-seaters for pilot instruction, embedding advanced tech and ‘Make in India’ ethos.
The IAF’s 36-jet Rafale force is operational in two squadrons, bolstered by Navy’s impending 26 ‘M’ Rafales for carrier ops on INS Vikrant and Vikramaditya, bundled with maintenance, equipment, and personnel training.
Proven in ‘Operation Sindoor’ retaliating the Pahalgam outrage, Rafales fired SCALP missiles over 250 km for surgical hits on Pakistani assets. Their suite—Meteor missiles, HAMMER weapons, SPECTRA defenses, cutting-edge radar—ensures supremacy across missions.
Hyderabad’s new Tata-Dassault plant, greenlit last June, will churn out fuselage components from 2028, expediting integrations, spurring manufacturing expertise, and solidifying India’s aerospace ambitions through enduring partnerships.