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3 min readNew DelhiFeb 11, 2026 05:55 AM IST
The IAF already operates 36 Rafales, and the Indian Navy would be inducting 26 Rafale M aircraft for carrier operations over the next few years.
Ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India between February 17 and 19, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is set to discuss the procurement of Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force this week.
According to officials, the DAC, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, will likely discuss the acquisition of the Rafales on Thursday and could grant the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the fighter jets.
Grant of AoNs is the first step in the defence procurement process even though it does not necessarily lead to a final order.
It was immediately not clear whether a deal to procure the jets will be announced during Macron’s visit to India. The proposal to procure the Rafale jets was cleared by the Defence Procurement Board last month, and discussions within the military to procure them had only started gathering pace last year.
The exact number of jets to be procured is yet to be made public. The IAF had projected the need to procure 114 aircraft. A few aircraft could be bought in a fly-away condition, and the rest would be manufactured in India with an indigenous content of 30%, which, sources said, is significantly high. India also seeks to integrate indigenous weapons in the aircraft. The deal will be signed after a nod from the Cabinet Committee on Security.
The next fiscal is projected to see a nearly 22% increase in the defence modernisation budget compared to the allocations set for the previous financial year. The highest capital allocations – Rs 0.63 lakh crore – for 2026-27 have been earmarked for aircraft and aero-engines, up from Rs 0.48 lakh crore in the previous fiscal.
This jump in capital budgetary allocations also points to the government’s plans to sign multiple big-ticket contracts in the upcoming financial year, including the American P8Is and the Rafale jets, which will involve advance payments of up to 10% of the contract value at the outset.
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The IAF already operates 36 Rafales, and the Indian Navy would be inducting 26 Rafale M aircraft for carrier operations over the next few years. The procurement of additional Rafales is thus expected to reduce logistical and training costs.
The modern combat jets will be critical in filling the gap in the IAF’s fighter squadron strength, which stands at 29 at present, against the sanctioned squadron strength of 42. They will bridge this capability gap till India’s indigenous fighter jet programmes — such as LCA Mk1 A, LCA Mk 2, and the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) — mature. AMCA is expected to enter service only after 2035, and Indian planners are thinking of procuring a separate fifth-generation fighter jet in the interim.
Amrita Nayak Dutta writes on defence and national security as part of the national bureau of The Indian Express. In the past, Amrita has extensively reported on the media industry and broadcasting matters, urban affairs, bureaucracy and government policies. In the last 14 years of her career, she has worked in newspapers as well as in the online media space and is well versed with the functioning of both newsrooms. Amrita has worked in the northeast, Mumbai and Delhi. She has travelled extensively across the country, including in far-flung border areas, to bring detailed reports from the ground and has written investigative reports on media and defence. She has been working for The Indian Express since January 2023. ... Read More
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