India’s Cabinet Committee on Security has given the go-ahead for a deal with France to buy 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets for INS Vikrant. The contract is worth about Rs 64,000 crore. The agreement includes 22 trainers with one seat, four trainers with two seats, and guns and help. The delivery date is set for 37 to 65 months from now.
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the Indian Cabinet Committee on Security has given the green light to purchase 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets from France for a total of Rs 63,887 crore (Euro 6.6 billion).
This is a result of China’s increasing naval presence in the Indian Ocean region. There are 22 single-seat Rafale-M and four twin-seat trainers, guns, simulators, training, and five years of logistics support for these jets, mainly for the Indian INS Vikrant.
The government-to-government contract, set to be signed with French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu present, also covers spares for the Indian Air Force’s 36 Rafales, inducted in 2016 for Rs 59,000 crore.
The Rafale-Ms, designed for maritime strike, air defense, and reconnaissance, will be delivered within 37 to 65 months, with India paying an initial 15% installment.
Armed with Exocet anti-ship missiles, `Scalp’ air-to-ground cruise missiles, and Meteor air-to-air missiles, the jets will also integrate Indian missiles like BrahMos-NG in the future. This deal positions Rafale as a frontrunner for the delayed 114-jet Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft project, estimated at Rs 1.25 lakh crore.
The Navy, currently reliant on 40 of the 45 MiG-29Ks for its two carriers, INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, pushed for the Rafale-Ms as an interim solution, with the indigenous Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) still a decade away. The deal follows extensive 2022 trials. Rafale-M outshone the American F/A-18 Super Hornet, aided by logistical synergy with the IAF’s fleet.
Meanwhile, a Rs 33,500 crore deal for three additional Scorpene submarines with France is nearing completion. India’s naval buildup is critical as China deploys three carriers, Liaoning, Shandong, and Fujian, and plans to expand.
The Indian government, however, has yet to give the preliminary nod for the long-pending case of a third 45,000-tonne aircraft carrier, let alone a more potent 65,000-tonne one, which will take at least a decade to build.
