India Approves Purchase of 26 Rafale Marine Fighter Jets from France for Indian Navy
New Delhi : The Indian government has approved a mega defense deal to purchase 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets from France for the Indian Navy. The deal, worth over ₹63,000 crore, is expected to be signed soon. Under the agreement, France will supply 22 single-seater and 4 twin-seater variants, significantly strengthening the Navy’s combat capabilities. As per the contract, France is obligated to deliver the first Rafale Marine within 37 months of the signing date.
The Indian Navy has chosen the French Rafale Marine over the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet for deployment on the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The long-standing negotiations between India and France have now concluded. Though the deal was initially planned to be signed within this financial year, it was delayed due to the Parliament’s Budget Session.
The 26 aircraft will be procured through a government-to-government agreement under the emergency procurement policy for the Navy’s multirole carrier-borne fighter requirement. Initially, India had planned to acquire 57 such aircraft, but the number was later reduced to 26.
First aircraft to be delivered within 37 months of signing the contract
To cater to India’s specific needs, the French manufacturer Dassault Aviation had demonstrated the Rafale Marine’s ski-jump capability. The Indian Navy had conducted trials of the Rafale Marine in January last year at INS Hansa in Goa, to assess its suitability for INS Vikrant.
While similar in many respects, the Rafale Marine differs from the Indian Air Force’s Rafale jets in a few key areas, including a reinforced undercarriage and nose wheel, a larger arrestor hook, and an integrated ladder for carrier operations. The aircraft can carry up to 4-5 tons of external load (in addition to full internal fuel) during ski-jump takeoffs.
Dassault Aviation is confident that the Rafale Marine is a perfect fit for INS Vikrant, and the aircraft is already in use by the armed forces of Greece, Indonesia, and the UAE. The Indian Navy believes that the Rafale Marine will meet its operational requirements far better than its current fleet. The Navy plans to phase out 43 aging Russian MiG-29K and MiG-29K UB fighter jets from its fleet.