India and France will finalise a big defence deal on Monday for purchasing 26 Rafale-Marine (Rafale-M) fighter jets for the Indian Navy, sources said. The government-to-government agreement worth around Rs 63,000 crore will be signed by the defense ministers of the two countries remotely. The signing ceremony will be officiated by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and French Ambassador Thierry Mathou. Besides, a series of government-to-business agreements are also likely to be signed during the event.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had already accorded the go-ahead for the deal in early April. The deal comprises 22 single-seat Rafale-M fighter jets to operate from aircraft carriers and four twin-seat trainer jets, which are not carrier-capable.

Sources indicated that deliveries will begin between 2028 and 2029, and all the jets are likely to be inducted by 2031-32.

The Rafale-M package will contain weapons, spares, simulators, training support, and related logistic equipment. The acquisition will be carried out under an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) model.

Induction of Rafale-Ms is timely, given the Navy will be phasing out the old MiG-29K fleet over a period of time. The new aircraft will be flown from India’s two carriers—INS Vikramaditya and the home-grown INS Vikrant—as an interim option until the indigenously developed Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) becomes operational.

The Rafale-M had been competing head-on with Boeing’s F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. Both aircraft satisfied the Indian Navy’s operational needs, but Rafale-M provided logistical benefits, having common maintenance and support infrastructure with the Indian Air Force’s current Rafale fleet.

The decision reflects increasing Indo-French defence cooperation, which focuses on co-production and co-development of military equipment, in accordance with India’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) initiative.

The deal also follows a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 individuals, including 25 Indians. French President Emmanuel Macron personally spoke to Prime Minister Modi to offer condolences and reiterate France’s solidarity with India.

Stay informed on all the , real-time updates, and follow all the important headlines in and on Zee News.

Source