NEW DELHI: A proposal to acquire 114 Rafale fighter jets from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation was on Friday given the go-ahead by the Defence Procurement Board chaired by Defence Secretary RK Singh, sources said.
The proposal will now be placed before the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The final approval will be required from the Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
After the final clearance, the IAF will get 114 Rafale aircraft under the medium multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA) project with access to the required source codes pertaining the weapon integration and communication pairing with the fighters of the other country of origin, said the sources.
What went in favour of these maritime fighters is that the IAF has already acquired 36 Rafale fighters. The commonality of the fleet and the resultant savings on training, repairs and maintenance have reportedly tilted the scale in favour of Dassault’s Rafale Marine (M), 26 of which are being procured for the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier combat operations, a source said.
“The project once kicks off will accrue multiple benefits in terms of cost-rationalisation, logistical ease as the maintenance, repair and overhaul facility (MRO) will be set up for MRFA,” the source added. “Also, revenue will be saved as it will not involve expenditure in terms of foreign currency required for the MRO services,” the source added.
TNIE reported on Friday, “The transfer of source code will be a non-negotiable condition in the IAF’s upcoming contract for 114 multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA).” Sources emphasised that the new jets will be able to integrate indigenous weapons as required and maintain seamless communication with aircraft of foreign origin, ensuring full interoperability.
“The access to the source code is not only for the present aircraft but also for the future acquisitions to integrate weapons as per force requirements,” a source said. “There won’t be any need for the French help with the integration of weapons along with seamless connectivity with other aircraft, even if from a different manufacturer,” the source said.
The medium-category fighters are expected to complement the IAF’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) fleet and the future Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), with budget provisions for existing programmes already secured. Sources stressed that MRFA induction will not affect other projects.