The Ministry of Defence said on Monday that India and France will ink a deal for 26 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Navy.
According to an official, the anticipated cost of this contract is roughly Rs 63,000 crore, which will greatly improve the Indian Navy’s fighting capability.
Of the 26 Rafale fighter jets, 22 will be single-seaters, with four twin-seater version training aircraft also being supplied.
Earlier, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu was slated to visit India on Sunday to sign the agreement, but his trip was cancelled owing to personal circumstances. However, he will communicate with his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, via video conference.
According to the defence official, India and France will also sign ‘government-to-business’ agreements on Monday.
He stated that Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and French Ambassador to India, Thierry Mathou, will be present at the signing event in New Delhi.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the purchase of 26 Rafale-M fighter jets from France for the Navy.
“After the Rafale deal is signed, Rafale-M fighter jet deliveries to the Indian Navy would begin in 2028-29. The Navy will receive all of the Rafale aircraft by 2031-32, according to the official.
He further stated that these fighter fighters will be operated from Indian aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and indigenous INS Vikrant.
According to the official, the agreement would also include a comprehensive package for fleet maintenance, logistics assistance, personnel training, and local component production to meet offset requirements.
The Indian Air Force also has a fleet of Rafale aircraft.
On Sunday, the Navy successfully conducted an anti-ship missile fire training.
Following the Pahalgam attack, the Navy tested a medium-range surface-to-air missile from an indigenously built guided missile destroyer, the INS Surat, in the Arabian Sea.
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