France has presented India with a detailed technical and commercial proposal for the purchase of 114 Rafale fighters worth €32 billion. The deal will involve large-scale local production of these multirole combat aircraft. The Rafale aircraft are likely to become one of the key components of the Indian Air Force in the future. They were selected by the Ministry of Defense in 2012 after a lengthy international competition.
French officials have provided a response to the Indian official request (Letter of Request) for the purchase of 114 multirole Rafale fighters. It is currently being studied by the Procurement Department of the Ministry of Defense and the Indian Air Force, sources in the defense ministry told ANI agency. The Indian side will carefully analyze the French response, especially regarding the integration of Indian weapons, such as modifications of the Astra air-to-air missiles, and domestic components into the aircraft under the deal.
Large-scale local production and opportunities for Indian industry
According to the terms of the deal, the French side will manufacture 94 out of 114 aircraft in India in conjunction with a local industrial partner. All partners of the French company Dassault Aviation will participate in this process, including missile manufacturer MBDA, engine manufacturer Safran, and the company Thales.
Significant localization of production is expected under this deal, which is likely to create opportunities worth about €16 billion for representatives of the Indian industry, including Tata, Larsen and Toubro, and others. India sent an official request (LoR) to France for this intergovernmental agreement on the supply of 114 Rafale fighters for the Indian Air Force in May of this year.
These aircraft are critically important to meet the urgent needs of the Indian Air Force, as the number of its squadrons is decreasing due to the decommissioning of obsolete aircraft, including modifications of Russian-made MiG fighters, as well as significant delays in the commissioning of domestic aircraft such as LCA Mark1A and LCA Mark 2.
The Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy have already placed orders for 62 Rafale aircraft. The order for 114 aircraft will increase the total number to 176. The Indian Navy has also expressed its intention to order another 31 such aircraft to counter maritime threats, which could increase the number of Rafale in the country to over 200.
The Ministry of Defense conducted a large-scale study to enhance the capabilities of the Indian Air Force soon after Rajesh Kumar Singh took over as secretary of the defense department in 2024, and the department is purposefully working on this. The Defense Procurement Council approved the Indian Air Force’s proposal to purchase 114 Rafale fighters about five months ago.
Source: ANI
