India approves plan to acquire French Rafale fighter jets

• India plans to buy 114 French Rafale jets, according to a government source.
• Potential for local manufacturing of 90 aircraft, as reported by Indian media.
• The purchase aims to strengthen “deterrence capabilities,” says the defense ministry.

NEW DELHI – Indian officials have approved a defense equipment deal valued at $39 billion, including the acquisition of additional Rafale jets, the Ministry of Defense announced Thursday, just days before French President Emmanuel Macron’s scheduled visit.

An anonymous defense source informed AFP that the deal encompasses 114 French Rafale fighter jets, supplementing dozens already ordered for the Indian Air Force.

Over the past decade, New Delhi has been working to lessen its reliance on Russia, traditionally the primary supplier of military hardware, shifting focus to other nations and bolstering domestic production.

The defense ministry issued a statement indicating that most of the aircraft would be assembled within India, though it did not specify the exact number for this deal.

Indian media, citing unnamed government sources, suggest Dassault Aviation could produce at least 90 jets domestically under this agreement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has long considered such a significant order of multi-role fighters, insisting that foreign suppliers transfer technology and manufacturing responsibilities to India.

The procurement is expected to improve the Indian Air Force’s “air dominance” and “deterrent capabilities,” especially through long-range offensive strikes, according to the defense ministry.

This deal has received approval from the Defense Acquisition Council, which includes senior military officials and the defense minister, and it is now ready to proceed to commercial negotiations.

Following this, the final approval will come from the Cabinet Committee on Security, led by the Prime Minister.

French President Macron is scheduled to visit India next Tuesday.

Declining aircraft fleet

The Indian Air Force has retired several of its aging aircraft, now operating a fleet of 29 jets—significantly below the authorized strength of 42.

Procurement delays and limited local production capacity have been cited as reasons for this deficit.

In September, India announced a $7 billion contract to buy 97 domestically designed and built Tejas jets.

This announcement coincided with the retirement of Soviet-era MiG-21s from the fleet.

Furthermore, Russian MiG-29s and French Mirage 2000s are expected to be phased out in the coming years.

India has been gradually shifting away from Russian military equipment, increasing imports from the U.S., France, and Israel.

Since 2015, India has purchased 36 Rafale jets for approximately $8.7 billion and recently announced plans to buy 26 more in a multi-billion dollar deal.

The Modi government has also eased regulations to encourage private investment in the domestic defense sector.

A conflict with Pakistan last year, during which several Indian jets—including three advanced French Rafales—were shot down, emphasized the need to upgrade defense capabilities.

Earlier this month, India announced an unprecedented $85 billion defense budget, according to Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.

Last year, Singh disclosed a bilateral agreement with France to co-design and manufacture a 120 kN jet engine over the next decade.

To counter China’s expanding influence in the Indian Ocean shipping lanes, India is also rapidly modernizing its navy, with plans to order at least 75 ships and submarines, most of which will be built locally.