The Defence Procurement Board (DPB) headed by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has cleared a proposal to acquire 114 Rafale fighter jets from France's Dassault Aviation, said sources on Saturday. This is the first step in finalising a deal to procure the Rafales for the Indian Air Force (IAF), which currently has 29-30 squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42.
However, the sources pointed out that a lot of things such as government to government negotiation need to be discussed. Currently, the Indian Air Force operates 36 Rafales, which is a 4.5 generation fighter aircraft.
Meanwhile, the proposal will now be placed to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC). Once it gets an approval from there, the proposal would require a nod of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The DPB's nod comes ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's India visit next month. It is expected that the two sides may sign the deal during Macron's visit in February during which he will attend the India-AI Impact Summit 2026. According to various media reports, the deal may include a condition that 80 per cent of the Rafales will be made in India.
Under the deal, 18 Rafales will be procured by India in fly-away conditions starting from 2030, while the rest will be indigenously made, as per reports.
Proposal to buy Su-57 'still on table'
Meanwhile, the sources on Saturday also told India TV that the proposal to acquire Sukhoi Su-57 aircraft is 'still on table'. Su-57 is a fifth generation Russia fighter aircraft and it was widely expected that New Delhi and Moscow may announce a deal regarding it during Russian President Vladimir Putin's India visit last month.
According to reports, the Russian side has also offered a transfer of technology and has stressed that all of India's demands are "completely acceptable".
"India and Russia have been partners for many years. Even when India was under sanctions, we supplied the country with weapons to ensure its security," Russia's state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sergey Chemezov told news agency ANI last year. "Today, we continue the same approach as in previous years, supplying India with whatever military equipment it needs and ensuring our mutual interests in developing cooperation."
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