Made In India Rafale? All About The ₹3.25 Lakh Crore 114 Fighter Jets Mega Deal And How Indigenous Production Will Supercharge IAF Might

India is considering buying 114 Rafale jets from France. The decision is considered after the proposal by the Indian Air Force to boost the country’s combat readiness. The decision becomes more important as the IAF is currently dealing with a shortage of fighter squadrons. According to reports, the deal is progressing satisfactorily. Rafales were used during Operation Sindoor last year when India carried out strikes against terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The project would also see some of the manufacturing facilities getting shifted from France to India. The deal will reportedly cost India around ₹3.25 lakh crore. According to these reports, the fighter jets under this deal are likely to have 30% to 60% indigenous content.

“Ongoing talks are focused on localisation of the Rafales to be made in India,” reports said, quoting officials.

India To Get 18 Rafale Jets In Fly-Away Condition, 96 To Be Made In India

India will get 18 Rafale jets in fly-away condition from the reported model. The remaining 96 jets will be made in India, reported. The reports say that India’s defence ministry is likely to accord its acceptance of necessity (AoN) for the new fighters in upcoming months. AoN is the first step that defence ministry takes while buying the military equipmens including jets.  

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ANI quoting sources said that with a large number of parts and systems of the Rafales to be built in India, there is also a possibility of the French Dassault Aviation using an Indian entity for export orders and offering Indian facilities as a hub for MRO for countries in the region operating the Rafale and other Dassault aircraft.

According to ANI, the Indian side is also discussing with French officials for maximising the localised content in the deal with plans of setting up the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility within India to maximise the serviceability of the planes, government sources told ANI.

Why Is India Buying Rafale Jets From France?

The sources said the two sides will negotiate the cost of the project further. The French price offer has taken into account the inflation rate increase in prices at around four per cent per annum.

Sources said in the present circumstances, the Rafale has been found to be the best suited to meet Indian Air Force requirements for fighter aircraft, as the serviceability is around 90 per cent, which is much higher than any other aircraft in the world, including the American F-35.

The Indian Air Force has been pushing for the case to buy 114 Rafale fighter jets for a long time after it was selected in a multi-vendor tender.

How Many Rafale Jets Does India Currently Have?

 The Indian Air Force is grappling with the issue of depleting fighter aircraft squadrons and the indigenous project is also getting delayed due to issues with engines as well as integration of foreign-made equipment with the LCA Mark 1A aircraft.

Already faced with two active fronts in Pakistan and China, Bangladesh is also fast becoming a security challenge. Amid this situation, the number of fighter aircraft squadrons required by the Indian Air Force is going beyond the long-accepted requirement of 42 squadrons. 

Currently India has 36 Rafale fighter jets operated by IAF. These were bought from France by spending ₹59,000 crore.

(With inputs from ANI)

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