First of 114 Rafales for Indian Air Force to Arrive in 3.5 Years
Indian Air Force to get locally built fighters under a major France deal
New Delhi: The first of the 114 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force will begin arriving in about three and a half years, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Friday. The Defence Acquisition Council, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Thursday accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of 114 Rafale jets under a government-to-government framework with France. The deal is estimated to be worth around Rs 3.25 lakh crore.
Singh said this would be the first time Rafale aircraft would be manufactured outside France, with 40 to 50 per cent localisation under the ‘Make in India’ programme.
He said the programme would be implemented through a government-to-government agreement without intermediaries and with full transparency. It would also allow integration of Indian weapons and systems on the aircraft. While France has offered 40 per cent localisation, India is seeking to raise it closer to 50 per cent and possibly beyond, he said.
“For the first time, Rafale aircraft will be manufactured outside France with significant levels of localisation. The first time 'Make in India,' Rafale outside France backed up by a government-to-government agreement, no intermediaries, full transparency in the project itself, G2G, significant levels of localisation, and full authority to integrate Indian weapons and Indian systems are the highlights of this programme,” he told a news agency.
He said the procurement would enable quicker induction of fighter aircraft. Referring to the earlier agreement with France, Singh said 26 Rafale Marine jets for the Indian Navy, contracted at around Rs 64,000 crore, would begin arriving from 2028.
“And after that, over a period of time, you will see that about three and a half years from now, the first of these Air Force Rafales will also start coming,” he said, adding that from 2028 onwards there would be a “continuous stream of Rafale coming in for Air Force and Navy”, strengthening India’s fighter fleet.
The Indian Air Force currently operates 36 Rafale jets.
