India, France to seal Rs 63,000-crore Rafale-M deal next week to boost Navy's air power

NEW DELHI: India and France are set to officially sign the long-awaited Rs 63,000-crore deal for 26 Rafale-M fighter jets next week. This deal is expected to significantly boost the Indian Navy’s combat strength at sea.

The agreement was initially planned to be signed during French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s visit to New Delhi. However, with his trip postponed due to personal reasons, the signing will now take place remotely on Monday.

Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and French Ambassador Dr Thierry Mathou are likely to officially announce the government-to-government (G2G) deal on Monday. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the deal earlier this month. Under the G2G model, both governments negotiate directly without involving private companies.

The deal includes 22 single-seater jets and 4 twin-seater trainer aircraft.

These fighter jets, capable of operating from aircraft carriers, will be deployed on INS Vikrant — India’s home-built aircraft carrier.

With the current MiG-29K jets from Russia facing performance issues, the Rafale-M jets will fill the gap until India’s own Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) is ready.

India is developing the TEDBF as a long-term solution for its carrier-based fighter needs. But since the indigenous jet is still years away from completion, the Navy has opted to acquire the Rafale-Ms in the meantime.

Specially built for naval missions, the Rafale-M jets have stronger landing gear and are designed to work with the Indian Navy’s STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) system. These jets can operate far from the coastline, giving India a major strategic advantage in the region.