Why in news
India and France have signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) to buy 26 Rafale-M fighter jets for the Indian Navy.
The agreement was signed remotely by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and French Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
Signed copies and protocols were exchanged in New Delhi in the presence of senior defence officials and the French Ambassador.
The deal
The deal is worth around ₹64,000 crore and includes aircraft, weapons, simulators, training, and logistics support.
Deliveries will begin from mid-2028 and finish by 2030.
Training for the Indian crew will happen both in France and in India.
The deal also includes the integration of India’s Astra missile on Rafale jets through technology transfer.
A production facility for Rafale fuselage and maintenance centres for engines, sensors, and weapons will be set up in India.
The deal is expected to create thousands of jobs and benefit many Indian MSMEs.
The Indian Navy currently uses MiG-29K jets on INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, but they are aging and have low availability.
Dassault Rafale-M beat Boeing’s F-18 in the final selection in July 2023.
Originally, the Navy planned to buy 54 jets, but the number was reduced to 26 due to the development of India’s own Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF).
Of the 26 Rafales, 22 will be single-seater jets for aircraft carriers and 4 will be twin-seater trainer jets for ground use.
The Indian Air Force already uses 36 Rafales purchased in 2016 under a previous ₹60,000 crore deal.
COMMENTS