Ahead of French President Macron’s India visit, government clears proposal to buy 114 Rafale fighter jets

NEW DELHI – Ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s upcoming India visit, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Thursday cleared the proposal to buy 114 Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation for an estimated Rs 3.25 lakh crore or USD 280.4 billion.

The DAC has approved Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the Indian Air Force to procure Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (Rafale). Moreover, the AoN was also approved for Combat Missiles and Air-Ships-Based High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (AS-HAPS).

According to the Ministry of Defence, the procurement of MRFA is set to enhance the IAF’s capability to undertake air-dominance roles across the spectrum of conflict and significantly boost its deterrence with long-range offensive strikes.

The deal, said to be the biggest weapons agreement of the country, will be a major boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make-In-India mission, as the majority of the MRFA to be procured will be manufactured in India.

Under the proposed deal, India will purchase 18 off-the-shelf Rafale fighter jets from French defence giant Dassault Aviation, while the remaining 96 fighter jets will be made in India. Some of these jets will be twin-seater aircraft to be used for training. The deal will involve the transfer of state-of-the-art fighter jet technology and a strategic partnership to give a fillip to the ‘Make in India’ programme.

India already has 36 Rafales, and after the delivery of these 114 aircraft, the country will be the largest non-French operators the twin-engine, multi-role fighter jet. In December 2024, the Air Force received the delivery of the ‘C’ variant Rafale fighter jets. India has also placed an order for 26 naval variants of Rafale’s ‘M’ version for Rs 63,000 crore.

The development comes just days ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India later this month. At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Macron will visit from February 17 to February 19.

During the visit, he will participate in the AI Impact Summit, the first global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South, in Delhi.

During the visit, PM Modi and President Macron will hold wide-ranging discussions to further strengthen bilateral cooperation under the Horizon 2047 Roadmap. The two leaders will also inaugurate the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 in Mumbai.