New Delhi: Ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India for the Artificial Intelligence Summit from February 18 to 20, the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by the Defense Minister Rajnath SinghA defense source told TOI that a meeting is planned to be held in the second week of this month to review the large defense procurement proposals. The most important of these is the proposal that the Letter of Acceptance Necessary (AoN) may be granted next week to purchase 114 pieces Rafale fighter jet From France at a cost of Rs 325 crore.The proposed project will procure 18 aircraft in flying condition and the remaining aircraft will be manufactured in India with up to 60% domestic content. About 80% of the 114 Rafale fighter jets planned to be purchased under the deal are planned to be manufactured in India. Sources said the Indian Air Force will procure 88 single-seater aircraft and 26 two-seater aircraft under the project, most of which will be manufactured in India in partnership with Dassault and Indian private companies.The purchase, which was approved by the Defense Procurement Council last month, will be submitted to the apex body for the next round of approval, after which the formal technical and commercial negotiation process will begin. The final form of the deal is likely to be finalized during Macron’s visit to India.The Indian Air Force currently operates about 30 fighter squadrons, well below its sanctioned size of 42 squadrons, at a time when threat awareness from Pakistan and China is rising. Defense analysts point to the growing strategic collusion between Pakistan and Bangladesh and Pakistan and China as a key factor exacerbating regional security concerns. After the deal is completed, the Indian Air Force will have a fleet of 150 Rafale fighters, as well as 26 Rafale fighters from the Indian Navy, which will have a carrier-compatible version of the French aircraft.Operation Sindoor demonstrated the importance of the Rafale fighter jet in offensive operations as it is equipped with deadly missiles such as Meteor, Scalp and laser-guided bombs. The Rafale project is expected to help the Indian Air Force meet its long-term needs for multi-role fighter jets above 4.5 generations.The deal is urgently needed as India is unlikely to get its new fifth-generation fighter jet, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), in the near future as the shortlisting process for companies to build this advanced stealth fighter is still ongoing and HAL’s Tejas MkIA production plans are progressing slowly due to dependence on Tejas engines from US company GE.
