Defence Ministry gives green signal to purchase 26 Rafales and 3 Scorpene Submarines from France

New Delhi: In a significant development, the Defence Ministry has given its nod to procure 26 Rafale fighter aircraft and three Scorpene class conventional submarines for the Indian Navy from France. The proposals received approval during a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, the three services chiefs, and other senior officials.

According to sources, the deals, which have received Acceptance of Necessity by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), are likely to be announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing visit to France. PM Modi embarked on a two-day visit to France on Thursday morning. As per the proposed agreements, the Indian Navy will be procuring 22 single-seated Rafale Marine aircraft, along with four trainer aircraft. The urgency for acquiring these fighter aircraft and submarines stems from the Navy’s pressing need to address shortages and counter the prevailing security challenges across the country.

INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, India’s aircraft carriers, currently rely on the MiG-29s for their operations and require the addition of Rafale aircraft to enhance their capabilities. Furthermore, as part of Project 75, the Indian Navy intends to procure three Scorpene class submarines under the repeat clause. These submarines will be constructed at the Mazagon Dockyards Limited in Mumbai.

The deals are estimated to be worth over Rs 90,000 crore but the final cost would be clear only after the contract negotiations are completed which will be held after the deal is announced. India is likely to seek price concessions in the deal and would be insisting on having more ‘Make-in-India’ content in the plan, sources said.

Industry sources said for the Rafale-Marine deal, India and France are expected to form a joint team for negotiations as was done for the previous Rafale deal for 36 fighter aircraft. The deal would be negotiated and only after that it would be finalised and implemented by the two sides.