NEW DELHI: India and France formally conclude the long-anticipated Rs 63,000-crore (USD 7.4 billion) deal for 26 Rafale-Marine (M) fighter jets on Monday, in a move aimed at significantly enhancing the Indian Navy’s maritime combat capabilities.
Originally scheduled to be signed during French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s visit to New Delhi, the agreement finalised remotely due to the postponement of his trip for personal reasons.
The contract was formally signed in the presence of Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and French Ambassador Dr Thierry Mathou as a government-to-government (G2G) deal, which was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) earlier this month.
The Vice Chief of Naval Staff, Joint Secretary (AM&MS), senior officials of Navy, MoD, French Navy, Dassault, and MBDA were also present during the signing event.
G2G is a mode of defence procurement involving direct negotiation between the government of the importer country with that of the exporter country.
As per the sources, post the contract signing an amount agreed as per the contract will be given to the French government as it is a G2G contract and then will begin the milestone based activities.
“The contract related activities will begin which includes the establishment of the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility within India. The training of the Indian Naval pilots will also be scheduled to match the delivery of the first aircraft," sources said.
“Also, as the first Rafale M aircraft is expected to be delivered by May, 2028 (37 months from the date of contract signing), there would be aircraft specific inspections to check and validate the India and Indian Navy specific enhancements," Source added.
The Rafale Ms joining the Indian navy has to take off from ski-jump aircraft carrier decks. Both Virat and Vikramaditya have the STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery)) Mechanism for its fighters.
On April 9, TNIE reported, the deal was cleared by Cabinet Committee on Security, the highest decision making body of the government.
The procurement includes 22 single-seater and four twin-seater trainer aircraft. These carrier-capable fighters are intended to be deployed aboard INS Vikrant, the Navy’s indigenous aircraft carrier.
With the ageing Russian-origin MiG-29K fleet facing operational challenges, the Rafale-M jets will serve as a short-term solution until the indigenous Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) is ready for deployment.
India has been working on developing its own twin-engine deck-based fighters as a long-term solution to its need for carrier-based fighters. But since there are still some years before the aircraft is indigenously developed, the Navy has decided to go in for the acquisition to meet its requirement.
Designed for naval operations, Rafale-M jets are equipped with reinforced undercarriages and are compatible with the Indian Navy’s STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) system used on carriers. Aircraft launched from these carriers can operate far from the coastline, giving India a crucial strategic edge in the region.