India advances deal for 114 Rafale fighters from France

THe defence ministry has sent a alphabetic character of ask for (LOR) to the daniel chester french authorities for purchasing 114 Rafale fighter jets to sharpen the Indian Air Force’s combat edge and hopes to conclude a contract in the financial year 2026-27, officials aware of the matter said on Monday.Negotiations for the government-to-government deal are expected to begin after the French side responds to the Indian request, the officials said, asking not to be named. The LOR, sent out last week, outlines the air force’s requirements and the proposed procurement terms.This development comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is travelling to France in mid-June for the outreach session of the G7 Summit.The Rafale capability boost is expected to cost around ₹3.25 lakh crore. The next steps before an actual deal include technical discussions, cost negotiations and final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security.In February, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)—India’s apex military procurement body—cleared the purchase of military hardware worth ₹3.6 lakh crore, including 114 Rafale jets, under the MRFA (multi-role fighter aircraft) programme. The council’s acceptance of the necessity for new fighters was the first step in the procurement process.Under the MRFA model being considered, the Rafales will be manufactured in India by the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation and a local partner. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh reached France on Monday for a four-day visit aimed at boosting defence cooperation. On Tuesday, he will visit Dassault Aviation’s Merignac facility which houses the Rafale’s final assembly line.France is expected to supply 20 Rafale jets in fly-away condition, while the remaining will be manufactured in India. India has held talks with France regarding the localisation of the Rafales to be manufactured in India, the integration of local weapons and other India-specific requirements.Quicker induction of fighter jets, mid-air refuelers, and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems topped the recommendations an empowered committee made last year for enhancing the IAF’s capability. The air force has around 30 fighter squadrons compared to an authorised strength of 42.5.The IAF already operates 36 Rafale fighter jets bought from France for ₹59,000 crore. Some of the air force’s Rafales were among the fighter jets used during Operation Sindoor in early May 2025—India’s strikes on terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.Also, India ordered 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets from France in April 2025 for the navy, which will operate them from its two aircraft carriers. The first deliveries of the Rafale-Ms under the ₹63,000-crore contract will take place in 2029 and be completed by 2031.Dassault Aviation has already set up a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility near Noida for the IAF’s Rafale and Mirage 2000 fighter jets. The new company, Dassault Aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul India (DAMROI), set up last year, is already operational.In June 2025, Dassault Aviation and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) announced their partnership to build the Rafale fuselage at a facility being set up in Hyderabad; a big leap for the government’s wide-ranging Make-in-India initiative—the main body of future Rafale fighter jets will be produced outside France for the first time, in India.