6 days ago
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Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh arrived successful France connected Monday (June 1, 2026) connected a four-day sojourn amid India’s determination to get 114 Rafale combatant jets successful a woody estimated to beryllium worthy ₹3.25 lakh crore.
The sojourn comes days aft the Union Ministry of Defence issued a Letter of Request to the French government, formally initiating the acquisition process, sources said, successful 1 of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) largest-ever combatant craft procurement programmes.
France is expected to respond wrong the adjacent two-three months, and negotiations are apt to reason wrong a year.
During his visit, the Air Chief Marshal volition interact with elder French subject officials, and sojourn Dassault Aviation, shaper of the Rafale combatant aircraft, arsenic good arsenic rocket shaper MBDA. The projected acquisition is portion of the IAF’s multi-role combatant craft programme aimed astatine addressing the declining spot of the combatant squadron.
The IAF presently operates 36 Rafale fighters inducted nether the 2016 India-France agreement, and is functioning with astir 29 combatant squadrons against an authorised spot of 42 squadrons.
Under the projected arrangement, astir 90 to 94 craft are expected to beryllium manufactured successful India done a concern betwixt Dassault Aviation and an Indian institution nether the Make successful India initiative. The remaining craft would beryllium delivered straight from France.
The programme is expected to execute astir 50% localisation, and volition people the archetypal clip Rafale fighters are produced extracurricular France. The woody is besides expected to facilitate the integration of indigenous weapons and systems, strengthening India’s aerospace manufacturing and operational capabilities.
