India and France on Monday signed a major ₹63,000 crore deal for the procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft for the Indian Navy. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh represented the Indian side during the agreement, with Navy Vice Chief Admiral K Swaminathan also present at the signing. The deal was cleared earlier this month by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Security, amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.
The government-to-government contract includes 22 single-seat Rafale-M jets and four twin-seat trainer variants. Along with the aircraft, the deal covers some weapons packages, simulators, crew training, and a five-year performance-based logistics support arrangement. The new jets will primarily operate from the deck of India’s indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.
The delivery of the 26 Rafale-M fighters is scheduled between 37 to 65 months from now, with India expected to make an initial payment of 15% of the total contract value. “The new Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) mirrors the one signed for the Indian Air Force’s Rafale deal. All 26 jets are to be delivered by 2031,” an official told TOI.
The omni-role, 4.5-generation Rafale-M fighters are capable of performing maritime strike, air defence, and reconnaissance missions, and can also deliver nuclear weapons. The aircraft will be equipped with 70-km range Exocet AM39 anti-ship missiles, over 300-km range ‘Scalp’ air-to-ground cruise missiles, and state-of-the-art Meteor air-to-air missiles, which can engage enemy aircraft at ranges of 120 to 150 km.
The Rafale-M had emerged as the frontrunner against the American F/A-18 Super Hornet after extensive trials conducted by the Navy in 2022. The French fighter also benefited from logistical advantages and spares commonality, given the Indian Air Force’s earlier induction of 36 Rafales.
Currently, the Indian Navy operates only 40 of the 45 MiG-29K jets procured from Russia since 2009 at a cost of $2 billion. These aircraft operate from the Russian-origin INS Vikramaditya and the new INS Vikrant. However, the MiG-29Ks have been plagued by poor serviceability and technical issues over the years. With the indigenous Twin-Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) expected to take at least a decade to become operational, the Navy had strongly pushed for the acquisition of the Rafale-M jets as an interim solution.
