Defence Ministry to discuss Rs 3.25 lakh crore 114 Rafale fighter jet deal this week
Senior Defense sources said that as per the proposal, the deal will also include around 12-18 Rafale jets to be purchased by the Indian Air Force in flyable condition.
He said that as per the proposal to be discussed in the high-level Defense Ministry meeting scheduled to be held in the next two to three days, the Indian side has also asked France to ensure integration of Indian weapons and other indigenous systems into French aircraft as part of the government-to-government agreement.
Source codes will remain only on the French side.
Interestingly, while both the United States and Russia have offered fifth-generation fighter jets, including the F-35 and Su-57 respectively, to the Indian Air Force, India continues to engage with France.
The domestic content of the aircraft will be only around 30 percent. Generally, the local content sought in Make in India agreements is around 50-60 percent.
If approved, this would be India’s largest ever defense deal and would take the number of Rafale jets in the Indian army to 176, as the Indian Air Force already has 36 while the Indian Navy ordered 26 last year. Final approval by the Cabinet Security Committee
The move to take the bid forward came soon after Rafale performed very well against Pakistan in Operation Sindoor; here he managed to comprehensively defeat China’s PL-15 air-to-air missiles using the Spectra Electronic Warfare suite. Made in India Rafale fighter jets are expected to have over 60 percent domestic content.
The French side also plans to establish a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility for the M-88 engines used by Rafale jets in Hyderabad. The French company Dassault has already established a company that will undertake the maintenance of French warplanes. Indian aerospace companies such as Tata are also likely to be part of the production.
India needs to urgently deploy warplanes against the growing threat perception in the region. The IAF’s fighter force structure is expected to consist primarily of Su-30 MKIs, Rafales and indigenous fighter jet projects. India has already ordered 180 LCA Mark 1A jets and also plans to induct a large number of indigenous fifth-generation fighter jets after 2035.
