The Mother of All Deals has received DAC approval today.
Defense News: To enhance the capability of the Indian Air Force and Navy, the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the purchase of 114 Rafale fighter aircraft and six P-81 maritime patrol aircraft. This decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday.
According to media reports, the green signal has been given for the purchase of 114 Rafale fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force. The estimated cost of this deal is said to be around Rs 3.25 lakh crore. Apart from this, the Council has also approved the procurement of six P-81 maritime patrol aircraft with the aim of enhancing the strength of the Indian Navy. However, after the approval of the Defense Acquisition Council, the proposal will be sent to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for final approval.
This decision has been taken at a time when the Indian Air Force is facing a shortage of fighter aircraft. At present the Air Force has only 29 active fighter squadrons.
Under this proposal, India will directly purchase 18 Rafale aircraft from French company Dassault Aviation, while the remaining 96 aircraft will be manufactured in India. Some of these aircraft will be two-seater, which will be used for training pilots. The deal also includes provisions for transfer of modern technology and promotion of ‘Make in India’ initiative.
The Indian Air Force already has 36 Rafale aircraft in two squadrons. Of these, the last delivery of the ‘C’ variant was in December 2024. Additionally, the Indian Navy has ordered 26 Rafale aircraft of the ‘M’ variant, estimated to cost around Rs 63,000 crore.
These Rafale aircraft of the Navy will be operated from INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya aircraft carriers. This deal also includes arrangements for repair, maintenance of aircraft, supply of necessary equipment and training of personnel.
Use of Rafale planes in Operation Sindoor
After the Pahalgam terrorist attack in May last year, India used Rafale fighter planes under ‘Operation Vermillion’. In this campaign, precise attacks were carried out on targets located in Pakistan. SCALP missile was fired from Rafale aircraft, which has a range of more than 250 kilometers and is capable of extremely accurate targeting.
Apart from this, Rafale aircraft are also equipped with Meteor air-to-air missiles, Hammer precision guided weapons, Spectra electronic warfare system and modern radar technology.
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