India, France to ink Rs 63,000 crore deal for Rafale jets on Monday

New Delhi: India and France are set to sign a landmark agreement on Monday for the purchase of 26 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Navy, the Ministry of Defence announced.

The estimated value of the deal stands at approximately Rs 63,000 crore and is seen as a major boost to the Indian Navy’s operational capabilities. The fleet will comprise 22 single-seater Rafale-M jets and four twin-seater trainer aircraft.

Initially, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu was scheduled to visit New Delhi for the signing ceremony, but his trip was called off due to personal reasons. He will now join the event virtually, participating in discussions with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

According to officials, the signing ceremony will also witness the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and French Ambassador to India Thierry Mathou. In addition to the Rafale deal, several government-to-business agreements between India and France are also expected to be finalized.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had earlier approved the procurement of these fighter jets.

Following the signing, the delivery of the Rafale-M jets is scheduled to commence between 2028 and 2029, with all aircraft expected to be inducted into service by 2031-32. These jets will operate from the Indian Navy's aircraft carriers — INS Vikramaditya and the indigenously built INS Vikrant.

The agreement will include a comprehensive package covering fleet maintenance, logistics support, personnel training, and domestic manufacturing of components under offset clauses.

India’s Air Force already operates Rafale jets, and the addition of naval variants is expected to significantly strengthen maritime air operations.

Meanwhile, in a display of readiness, the Indian Navy successfully conducted an anti-ship missile drill on Sunday. The force also carried out a medium-range surface-to-air missile test from INS Surat, an indigenously built guided missile destroyer, in the Arabian Sea. IANS