India approves Rs 63,000 crore deal for Rafale marine jets for Navy

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has cleared the country’s largest procurement deal for Rafale fighter jets, worth Rs 63,000 crore. Official sources told PTI that 26 Rafale marine jets will be acquired for the Indian Navy under an intergovernmental agreement with France.

The deal includes 22 single-seater and four twin-seater Rafale marine jets. Alongside the aircraft, the agreement also covers a comprehensive package for fleet maintenance, logistics support, personnel training, and indigenous manufacturing of parts to be carried out under offset obligations.

Delivery of the jets is expected to begin nearly five years after the deal was signed. These aircraft will be deployed aboard India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, complementing the Navy’s existing MiG-29K fleet.

The Indian Air Force is already operating 36 Rafale jets from the Ambala and Hashimara airbases. The new deal is also expected to boost the IAF’s operational reach, with the addition of a ‘body-to-body’ aerial refuelling system that will allow around 10 Rafale jets to refuel other aircraft mid-air.