India could significantly scale up its Rafale fighter jet acquisition, with a French media report claiming that New Delhi has sought additional Rafale Marine aircraft beyond the proposed 114 jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
According to a report published by French outlet La Tribune, India has asked France to supply Rafale Marine fighter jets in addition to the mega-order of 114 combat aircraft intended for the IAF. If finalised, this would take the total number of Rafales ordered by India to 145, according to the La Tribune report.
However, there has been no official confirmation from the Indian government on the report published by the French daily La Tribune.
The development would mark a major expansion of India’s Rafale fleet. India has already signed two contracts with Dassault Aviation for 62 Rafale jets, 36 for the IAF in 2016 and 26 for the Indian Navy in April 2025.
The report notes that the Indian Navy, which was the first to identify a requirement for the aircraft, had projected a need for 31 new Rafale Marine jets several years ago. If the expanded order goes through, India’s Navy could operate 57 Rafales ,more than France’s own fleet of 41 naval variants.
India’s Rafale Marine aircraft are expected to operate primarily from INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier, and possibly also from INS Vikramaditya, a modernised former Russian vessel. India is also planning a third aircraft carrier, which could further expand operational requirements.
Meanwhile, in a major push to strengthen the Indian Air Force (IAF), India on Thursday cleared a long-pending proposal to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets under a government-to-government framework with France, nearly two decades after the plan was first conceived to enhance the country’s air combat capabilities.
The approval, granted under the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) project, marks one of India’s largest-ever defence acquisition initiatives.
Under the plan, 18 aircraft will be supplied in fly-away condition by Dassault Aviation, while the remaining jets will be manufactured in India with over 50% indigenous content, to be achieved in phases, sources said.
Though the defence ministry did not officially disclose the project cost, estimates place the deal in the range of Rs 2.90 lakh crore to Rs 3.15 lakh crore.
The clearance comes just days ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India. The proposal is expected to be placed before the Prime Minister-led Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) soon. There is also a possibility that India and France could sign an inter-governmental agreement during Macron’s trip.
However, officials indicated that a final contract is unlikely before the end of the year, as detailed negotiations with Dassault Aviation over pricing and the weapons package still need to be completed.
The Rafale jets are capable of carrying a range of advanced weapon systems. The weapons package is expected to include the Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile and the Scalp cruise missile, both manufactured by European missile maker MBDA.
The MRFA project traces its origins to the late 1990s. The IAF floated a Request for Information (RFI) in 2004 and later revived the requirement in April 2019, when it issued a fresh RFI to procure 114 aircraft at an estimated cost of around $18 billion. The programme has been described as one of the world’s largest military procurement projects in recent years.
The new acquisition comes at a time when the IAF’s fighter squadron strength has fallen to 31, well below the sanctioned strength of 42.
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