France will respond to India’s request for 114 Rafale fighter aircraft deal by mid-August. After this there will be negotiations on price and other aspects. Under this deal, 94 aircraft will be manufactured in India, which will strengthen the declining squadron numbers of the Air Force.
Big update on 114 Rafale jet deal
New Delhi [भारत]July 26 (ANI): In the deal for 114 Rafale fighter jets, France is expected to submit its official response to the Indian Letter of Request (LoR) for the project by mid-August. Defense officials told ANI that French officials have now sought time till mid-August to submit their response to the Indian letter of request given to France in May this year. Officials said the two sides will negotiate on the price and other important aspects after receiving the French response.
India had in May this year issued a Letter of Request (LoR) to France for this mega government-to-government deal for 114 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force.
Under this deal, 94 Rafale jets will be manufactured in India by French manufacturer Dassault Aviation in partnership with an Indian company.
Why is Rafale important for the Air Force?
These aircraft are crucial to meet the critical needs of the Indian Air Force as its squadron strength is shrinking due to phasing out of older aircraft, including major delays in the induction of Russian-origin variants of MiG fighter jets and indigenous aircraft such as the LCA Mark 1A and LCA Mark 2.
Rafale number will cross 200 in the country
Although the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy have already ordered 62 Rafale aircraft, the order for 114 Rafale will take the number to 176. The Indian Navy has also already expressed its intention to induct 31 more of these aircraft to counter maritime threats, taking the number of Rafales in the country to more than 200.
The Defense Ministry had conducted a major study to enhance the capability of the Indian Air Force under the leadership of Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh soon after he took charge in 2024, and the Defense Ministry is working in that direction in a focused manner.
The Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) had approved the Indian Air Force’s proposal to acquire 114 Rafale jets four months ago. (ANI)
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