Govt Receives Air Force's Proposal For Buying 114 'Made-In-India' Rafale Jets

The Defense Ministry on Friday received a proposal from the Indian Air Force for acquiring 114 'Made-in-India' Rafale fighter jets, according to a report. If the defence project is completed it will be the biggest ever defence deal to be signed by the Indian government.

The jets will be built by the French firm Dassault Aviation along with Indian aerospace firms, as the news agency ANI report. The proposal is expected to be worth over Rs 2 lakh crore, including the indigenous content of over 60%. In the next few weeks, this proposal will be taken up for discussion by the Defence Procurement Board headed by the Defence Secretary, the report added.

The Statement of Case was received by the government a few days ago and is under consideration of the different wings under the defence ministry, defence officials told ANI.

The order will take the Rafales aircraft in the Indian defence force fleet to 176 as the Indian Air Force has already inducted 36 of the jets. Additionally, the Navy has placed order for 26 Rafales under the government-to-government deals.

Notably, France-based Safran Aerospace announced plans to establish a new entity—Safran Aircraft Engine Services India—in Hyderabad, which will focus on the maintenance and overhaul of Rafale fighter jet engines, specifically the M88 engines.

The initiative is expected to create approximately 150 new jobs by the end of next year, with the potential to add another 750 positions in subsequent phases, according to a press release from the Telangana government.