The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) request to purchase 114 “Made in India” Rafale fighter jets, a massive proposal valued at over ₹2 lakh crores, has been formally received by the Ministry of Defence.
With Dassault Aviation collaborating with Indian aerospace firms like TATA, this purchase will be carried out under the strategic partnership approach, with the goal of achieving more than 60% indigenous content.
The idea is being examined by multiple ministers in Defence Finance and associated wings after the IAF submitted its Statement of Case (SoC) a few days ago. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), presided over by the Defence Minister, will consider it after it has been evaluated by the Defence Procurement Board (DPB), which is chaired by the Defence Secretary.
If approved, this will eclipse the previous ₹59,000 crore government-to-government agreement for 36 Rafales and become the largest defense contract ever signed by India.
Including the 36 planes now in service in the Indian Air Force and the 36 Rafale-M fighters contracted for the Indian Navy, the addition of these 114 fighters would bring India’s Rafale fleet to 176 aircraft.
Together with the Su-30MKI and future domestic fighter lines, this would position Rafale as a key component of India’s frontline combat air capability.
In order to ensure the fleet’s long-term sustainability with the involvement of the Indian industry, Dassault is also anticipated to set up a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) base for the Rafale’s M-88 engines in Hyderabad.
After its combat debut during Operation Sindoor, where it purportedly outperformed enemy systems and successfully neutralized China’s PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles by utilizing its Spectra electronic warfare suite, the Rafale has gained significant strategic confidence inside the IAF.
Longer-range air-to-ground strike weaponry beyond the present Scalp cruise missile, which worked well against Pakistani military and terrorist infrastructure during operations, are among the other improvements that the proposed Indian Rafales would have. India’s intention to maintain dominance in contested airspace across the Western and Northern frontiers is demonstrated by this capacity leap.
This proposal’s timeliness reflects the IAF’s increasing need to halt the loss of squadron strength in the face of increased regional threats.
The IAF, which has a sanctioned strength of 42 combat squadrons, presently has between 30 and 31 operable squadrons. It primarily uses its fleet of Su-30MKI aircraft and is progressively introducing the 180 TEJAS MK-1A aircraft.
In addition to providing immediate operational support, the 114 Rafales are expected to serve as a technology bridge until around 2035, when India’s own Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) will begin full production.
It is anticipated that India’s drive to localize fighter aircraft production will have a ripple effect on other aerospace advantages. Fuselages, avionics contributions, and component production across several suppliers would all be included in the indigenous integration, which would be further bolstered by spare parts and maintenance infrastructure.
Therefore, the “Made in India Rafale” program is positioned as a strategic industrial investment that will strengthen Indo-French defense ties and advance India’s aerospace ecosystem in accordance with Atmanirbhar Bharat goals, rather than only as a military procurement.
According to the PTI Report
