India will buy 114 new Rafale jets from France, Defense Ministry approves deal worth Rs 3.25 lakh crore

New Delhi, 12 February. The central government has given green signal for the purchase of new Rafale fighter planes from France. The deal was approved in the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday. It is noteworthy that after the Pahalgam terrorist attack last year, the whole world had seen the capability of Rafale in the Indian Air Force’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ to destroy Pakistani terrorist bases.

Now DAC has issued Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to buy 114 new Rafale fighter aircraft. This deal will be worth around Rs 3.25 lakh crore. Under this, about Rs 2.5 lakh crore will be spent on the purchase of aircraft, while the remaining amount will be spent on weapon systems, spare parts and logistics support. This deal will strengthen India’s strategic edge by increasing the squadron numbers of the Air Force.

P8-I maritime patrol aircraft will also be purchased

According to the information received, the Central Government has taken a big decision not only on fighter aircraft but also on the maritime front. In this sequence, approval has been given for the purchase of 6 P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, the estimated cost of which is Rs 28 thousand crore. Also, about Rs 15 thousand crore will be spent on high altitude platform systems. These systems will play an important role in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations and will provide new strength to the anti-submarine capability of the Indian Navy.

Total number of Rafale aircraft it will be 176

According to media reports, out of 114 aircraft, 18 Rafale fighter aircraft will come fully prepared directly from France, while the remaining 96 Rafale aircraft will be manufactured in India. For this, French company Dassault Aviation will work in collaboration with Indian private sector companies.

After this deal, the total number of Rafale aircraft in the Indian Air Force fleet will increase to 176, of which 36 are old, 114 new and 26 for the Indian Navy. The biggest strength of Rafale is its state-of-the-art weapon system. It is equipped with Meteor missile, which has a range of more than 100 kilometers and is counted among the world’s most advanced air-to-air missiles.

Rafale delivery may start by 2030

After receiving AON from DAC, now formal talks will start on this proposal. The final approval will be given by the Cabinet Committee i.e. CCS headed by Prime Minister Modi. It is believed that the delivery of aircraft can start by 2030.