India on Thursday cleared proposals for the procurement of an additional 114 Rafale fighter jets, combat missiles, air-ship-based high-altitude pseudo satellites (AS-HAPS) and other equipment worth ₹3.60 lakh crore to enhance the combat readiness of defence forces, sources in the defence ministry said.
A defence ministry official said the 114 Rafales, manufactured by the French firm Dassault Aviation, would be procured under a government-to-government framework.
With the retirement of the MiG-21 last year, the Indian Air Force’s fighter squadron strength has depleted to 29 against the sanctioned strength of 42, the lowest since the 1960s. A squadron of fighters in the IAF has between 16 and 20 aircraft.
An internal assessment following Operation Sindoor indicated that the IAF may need to field more than the authorised number of squadrons to meet future challenges.
The procurement proposals were cleared at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh.
The clearance came days before French President Emmanuel Macron’s scheduled visit to India to attend a summit on artificial intelligence.
“The DAC accorded acceptance of necessity (AoN) for various proposals of the services at an estimated value of about ₹3.60 lakh crore. For the Indian Air Force (IAF), AoN was approved for the procurement of multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA-Rafale), combat missiles and air-ship-based high-altitude pseudo satellites,” the ministry said.
The procurement of MRFAs, the ministry said, will enhance capability in undertaking air dominance roles across the spectrum of conflict and significantly
boost the deterrence powers of the IAF with long-range offensive strikes.
The majority of the Rafale aircraft being ordered will be manufactured in India, the ministry said. It, however, did not specify the number of Rafales being purchased but sources said it would be 114, with 90 to be manufactured in India and the rest likely to be procured in fly-away condition to meet the air force’s immediate operational needs.
The Indian Air Force already operates 36 Rafale jets. The deal was mired in controversy when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced it during his April 2015 visit
to France.
The terms of the ₹59,000-crore deal for the sale of 36 Rafale jets, formally signed in September 2016, had an offset clause according to which the supplier had to spend half the money in India.
French company Dassault Aviation decided to end its negotiations with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and created a joint venture with Anil Ambani’s Reliance Infrastructure to meet its offset obligations, leading to allegations that the Modi government was giving preferential treatment to the Ambanis.
