India on Monday signed a Rs 63,000 crore deal to buy 26 Rafale M fighter jets - i.e., the marine variants - from France to complete a record government-to-government deal.
The signed purchase agreement is for 22 single-seater jets and four twin-seater trainers, with deliveries expected to be completed by 2031. The deal also includes fleet maintenance, logistical support, and personnel training and, in a significant moment for the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative, indigenous manufacturing of components under offset obligations.
The Rafale M is widely considered one of the world's most advanced naval fighter jets.
At present only the French Navy has this jet.
It is equipped with Safran Groups' reinforced landing gears - regarded as one of the best for carrier-compatible aircraft - and also features folding wings, and a reinforced undercarriage to withstand harsh conditions, deck landing, and tailhooks.
The Navy's newest weapons will be deployed on aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, bolstering maritime power and countering threats in the Indian Ocean.
It will replace the ageing MiG-29K fleet.
"We are tweaking our strategy to "negate" any infringement in its area of operations and is "ready to tackle threats from all neighbours", Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi said in December.
The Indian Air Force already operates 36 Rafale fighters, and the acquisition of the naval variants will also enhance the IAF's capabilities, including upgrading the 'buddy-buddy' aerial refuelling system, i.e., which allows one jet, equipped with a refuelling pod, to act as a fuel tanker for another, which allows the fighters to stay airborne longer.
The Navy is also planning to induct indigenous, fifth-gen fighter jets that are being developed by the Defence Research and Development Institute, or DRDO.
These - styled as twin-engine, deck-based fighters - will be the naval counterpart of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, or AMCA, being developed for the Air Force.
The Air Force's 36 Rafale jets - the 'C' variant - operate out of two bases in the north.
