IAF Rafale jets: Ministry of Defence has a big plan to get 114 Rafale fighter jets. The deal can be worth more than ₹2 lakh crore. The idea is to not only buy the planes but also build them inside India under the ‘Made in India’ program. French company Dassault Aviation will join hands with Indian aerospace companies, and Tata is expected to have a strong role in this production.
Government Review
The Indian Air Force has already given a Statement of Case for the purchase. The Defence Ministry is now checking the proposal in many of its departments, even Defence Finance is looking into it. After these checks are done, the file will go to the Defence Procurement Board which the Defence Secretary leads. Then the Defence Acquisition Council will see it before any final decision.
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Experts say ANI reported that this is one of the biggest defence deals India may ever sign. Officials are taking time because of the size of the plan and because it also includes making sure that more than 60% of the fighter plane parts are made in India. Dassault has even promised to set up a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul hub in Hyderabad for the Rafale’s M-88 engines.
This hub will help the new fleet get service and repairs right inside the country. Dassault already runs a unit for other French planes here, so this will be an extension of that.
Expansion Of Rafale Fleet
India already flies 36 Rafale jets that came earlier, and the Navy has also ordered 26 more. If this new order of 114 gets the green signal, then the total Rafale count in India could go up to 176 planes in the coming years, reported CNBC TV18.
That would make the Rafale one of the main fighters in the Indian skies along with Su-30 MKIs and the locally built LCA Mark-1A jets. India has already signed for 180 LCA Mark-1A, and the government also plans to add fifth generation fighters after 2035, so the mix of planes will be very strong.
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Future Plans of India
The need for more jets became clear after regional tensions and operations like Sindoor where Rafales showed they could beat threats like the Chinese PL-15 missile by using their Spectra electronic warfare system. The Rafales that will be made in India will also carry new longer range air-to-ground missiles, even better than the Scalp which India had used earlier in strikes inside Pakistan.
