New Delhi: The Indian Air Force’s proposal for purchase of 114 more Rafale fighter jets will be brought before the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) ahead of the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron for an AI Summit in New Delhi from February 15 to 17, reports said.
The DAC, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, is expected to accord Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to the IAF for the acquisition of 114 Rafale multi-role fighter aircraft. Under India’s defence procurement rules, AoN from the DAC is the first formal step in the acquisition process. The approval from the Defence Procurement Board has already been granted. After the DAC’s nod, commercial negotiation is the next step following which the plan will need clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Estimated at ₹3.25 lakh crore, the deal follows IAF’s squadron shortfall (30 vs needed 42).
India already has 36 Rafale fighter jets, which were also deployed during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. They were among the fighters which played a crucial role in India’s strikes on terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.
Air Chief Marshal A P Singh last October made a strong push for faster induction of new military hardware into the air force, including fighter jets. He said the Rafale was one of the options to strengthen the IAF’s combat fleet, while underlining the requirement for 114 multi-role fighter aircraft to be manufactured in India through a partnership between a foreign original equipment manufacturer and an Indian company.
The proposal is coming before DAC after it was given the green signal by the Defence Procurement Board last month. The DPB is headed by defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.
