India has reportedly issued a letter of request to France for the procurement of 114 Dassault Rafale fighter jets under a government-to-government arrangement, according to multiple Indian media reports.
These reports state that the programme could be worth approximately INR3.25 trillion (US$31 billion), with between 90 and 94 of the aircraft expected to be manufactured in India under license by a private-sector partner.
India and France are expected to conclude negotiations and sign a contract in 2027, with deliveries potentially starting in 2031. India’s Defence Acquisition Council approved the acceptance of necessity for this programme in February.
Quite apart from this deal, India will already be operating 62 Rafales by 2030, comprising 36 with the Indian Air Force (IAF) and 26 with the navy. India will thus become the first foreign country to operate both land- and carrier-based versions of the French fighter.
The proposed acquisition effectively brings the IAF’s Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) competition, which got under way in April 2019, to a close.
The MRFA requirement was estimated to then cost approximately US$18 billion, and it was intended to address the IAF’s declining squadron strength. The air force’s MiG-21 fleet has since been retired, while upgraded Sepecat Jaguar and Mirage 2000 aircraft will remain in service for at least another decade.
However, the IAF’s Rafale saga began much earlier, when it first issued a request for proposal in August 2007 for a Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA). Some 126 aircraft were to be purchased at an estimated cost of US$10 billion, 18 in fly-away condition and the remaining 108 to be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The Rafale emerged as the winner of the MMRCA competition in 2012, but the procurement was cancelled in mid-2015. By that time, the project’s cost had ballooned to US$20 billion for 126 aircraft.
In August 2016, Delhi announced it would procure 36 Rafale jets via an intergovernmental agreement with France. The deal worth US$8.8 billion for 36 aircraft in fly-away condition was concluded the same year, and the first batch of five aircraft arrived in India in July 2020.
The Indian Navy selected the Rafale M as the winner after its search for a multirole carrier-borne fighter that began in 2017. The DAC approved the procurement in July 2023.
An intergovernmental agreement for 26 Rafale Ms (22 single-seaters and four twin-seaters) was signed with France in April 2025. Under the US$7.4 billion deal, aircraft deliveries will start in 2028 and end in 2030.
The navy’s original requirement was for 57 aircraft, raising the possibility of follow-on orders in the coming decade.
by Atul Chandra
