Newsletter
India has officially signed a ₹64,000 crore defence deal to acquire 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets from France.
The deets: under the agreement, the Navy will receive 22 single-seater and 4 twin-seater Rafale-M jets from Dassault Aviation.
- Dassault Aviation designs and builds high end fighter jets like Rafale and sleek private jets under the falcon brand. They ‘re a major force in aerospace, with billions in annual sales and deep ties to both military and business aviation globally.
The package includes training, simulators, performance-based logistics, weapons, and upgrades for the Indian Air Force’s existing Rafale fleet.
The Rafale-Ms, built for carrier operations, will be deployed on INS Vikrant, strengthening India’s naval air power.
What’s new: key part of the jets will be built in India, and the deal also includes plans for setting up local facilities for fuselage production, which is the central structure of the aircraft, along with maintenance
Why it matters: the deal strengthens interoperability between India’s naval and air forces and also deepens strategic ties with France at a time when maritime security in the Indo-Pacific is becoming increasingly critical.
Zoom out: India’s defence spend is already hitting new highs and big-ticket deals like Rafale-M are a key part of that push.
