India has approved a major defence deal with France to buy 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets for the Indian Navy. The deal is worth over ₹63,000 crore and is expected to be officially signed in the coming weeks. Defence sources told India Today TV that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given the green light to the agreement.

According to the details, the Indian Navy will receive 22 single-seater jets and 4 twin-seater variants. The deal also includes a complete package for fleet maintenance, logistics, training of Navy personnel, and some local manufacturing under offset obligations. This means some parts of the deal will be produced in India.

The Rafale Marine is a special version of the Rafale fighter jet made for aircraft carriers. It comes with advanced weapons and electronics and can perform many types of missions. Once delivered, these jets will operate from India’s aircraft carriers—INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. They will replace the old MiG-29K jets currently used by the Navy.

Delivery from 2029, full fleet by 2031

Deliveries of the Rafale Marine jets are expected to start around late 2029. The full fleet is likely to be inducted by 2031. The deal is being done through a government-to-government method to ensure faster delivery and reliable maintenance from French company Dassault Aviation.

The Rafale M is specially designed for use on aircraft carriers. It has a stronger body, arrestor hooks for landing, and a landing gear suited for STOBAR operations (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery), which is the method India uses to launch and recover aircraft on its carriers.

Apart from this deal, India is also planning to add more power to its Navy by building three more Scorpene-class submarines under Project-75. These will be made with help from France’s Naval Group and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in India.

 

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