Indian media outlets have reported that the Indian Air Force (IAF) has moved a proposal with the nation’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the procurement of 114 Rafale fighter jets, from the French airframer, Dassault Aviation.

The ANI news agency stated that India’s Defence Procurement Board would take up the matter for discussion in the coming weeks. It quoted the deal value for 114 fighter jets at approximately INR 2 Trillion (approximately USD 23 billion).

The fighter buy could be finalised as early as next year, with a requirement for 18 aircraft to be delivered as ‘Fly-Aways’.

The Indian media outlet ‘The Print’ was the first to report earlier this year in April, that the Indian Government would cancel the MRFA tender to pursue a Government-to-Government (G2G) deal for the Rafale. The formal start to the procurement process will begin when the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) which is led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh grants its Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement.

The decision to finally opt for the Rafale comes at a crucial juncture for the IAF, whose combat squadron strength has now depleted to less than 30 operational fighter squadrons. It has also yet to receive new TEJAS Mk-1A fighter jets on order with the state-owned airframer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The French airframer had been ramping up its in-country presence in India, likely to prepare for a large aircraft order. In September, last year, Dassault Aviation announced that it would create a company dedicated exclusively for Maintenance, Repair and Overall (MRO) of its military aircraft in India. The new entity Dassault Aviation MRO India (DAMROI) will be based in Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and support the IAF’s Rafale and Mirage 2000 fleets.

Dassault Aviation announced its partnership this June with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) for manufacture of RAFALE fuselages in India. This is the first time that RAFALE fuselages will be produced outside France. TASL is setting up a production facility in Hyderabad to manufacture key RAFALE structural sections including the lateral shells of the rear fuselage, the complete rear section, the central fuselage, and the front section. The first fuselage sections are slated to roll off the assembly line in FY2028, with the facility expected to deliver up to two complete fuselages per month.

Also announced this June, was the creation of Safran Aircraft Engine Services India, which would specifically undertake the MRO of M88 engines powering the Rafale.

India’s 2018 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) tender had received responses from Boeing’s F-15EX, Dassault RAFALE F3-R, Eurofighter TYPHOON, MiG-35, Sukhoi SU-35, Lockheed Martin F-16 and Saab GRIPEN-E as contenders.

The original 2018 MRFA requirement was for 110 aircraft, split across 83 single seat aircraft and 27 twin-seat fighters. The first 16 aircraft were to be acquired as ‘Fly Aways’ with the remaining 94 aircraft to be produced in India.

The IAF decision to finalise on the RAFALE as its future medium fighter type brings to an end its search for such an aircraft, which began in August 2007, when the MoD issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) at an estimated cost of INR 420 billion (then worth approximately USD 8.5 billion).

The original MMRCA tender stalled over the IAF’s insistence that Dassault Aviation guarantee aircraft produced under license by HAL. Another issue was the higher man-hours required to build the aircraft by HAL as compared to Dassault Aviation’s more automated processes.

India eventually went on to order 36 RAFALE fighter jets in 2016 in a deal worth nearly €8 billion. All aircraft are now operational with two IAF squadrons.

This was followed by an order in April this year, for the Indian Navy for 26 RAFALE-M jets worth approximately INR 630 billion (approximately USD 8 billion). The contract comprising 22 single-seat RAFALE-M aircraft and 4 twin-seat RAFALE-D aircraft also includes a five-year Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) support package.

Deliveries of Indian Navy RAFALE-M jets are to begin in 2028 with deliveries concluding by 2030. India will be the first country to operate both versions of the Rafale aircraft after France.

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