India’s approval for a 3.6 trillion rupee (US$40 billion) purchase of defence equipment on Thursday – including 114 Rafale French fighter jets – will significantly boost the capabilities of the country’s armed forces amid heightened tensions with Pakistan, analysts say.
The decision comes at a time when the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) fighter squadron strength has shrunk to 29, well below the 42 considered essential in the event of a simultaneous war with Pakistan and China.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to New Delhi next week will also underscore India’s status as one of the largest non-French operators of the Rafale, a twin-engined, multi-role fighter jet widely regarded as one of the deadliest in the world.
India already has 36 Rafales – the IAF received the last C variants in December 2024 – and has ordered 26 M naval variants.
“With only 29 fighter squadrons, the IAF faces a daunting task in a highly dynamic and complex geostrategic environment and there is a need to find multiple ways to overcome this shortage,” retired IAF air marshal Ravi Gopal Krishana Kapoor told This Week in Asia.
The new additions would be a significant boost given that the fighter jet performed “very well” in Operation Sindoor last May, he said.
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