India eyes 114 Rafales as squadron gap widens ahead of Macron's Delhi visit

As preparations begin for the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron in the third week of February, India’s defence establishment is moving closer to deliberations on one of its biggest fighter acquisition programmes, a Rs 3.25 lakh crore proposal to procure 114 Rafale combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force, according to ANI.

The proposal, which received an initial clearance from the Defence Procurement Board last month, is expected to be discussed at a high-level meeting of the Defence Ministry of India next week.

“The proposal is likely to be taken up for discussion next week at a high-level meeting of the defence ministry and is seen as critical for meeting the operational requirements of the Indian Air Force in view of the present security scenario in the region,” defence sources told ANI.

The timing of the discussion is significant. The Indian Air Force is currently operating around 30 fighter squadrons, well short of its sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons, at a time when threat perceptions are rising. Defence planners point to increasing strategic collusion between Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as Pakistan and China, as factors that have heightened regional security concerns.

The Rafale project is expected to address this capability gap over the long term by providing the IAF with a 4.5-generation-plus multirole fighter aircraft, strengthening both air superiority and strike capabilities.

Under the proposal, around 80 per cent of the 114 Rafale aircraft are planned to be manufactured in India, in line with New Delhi’s push for domestic defence production. Sources said the IAF would acquire 88 single-seater and 26 twin-seater aircraft, with the bulk of production taking place in India through collaboration between French manufacturer Dassault Aviation and Indian private sector companies.

Once the deal is concluded, the Indian Air Force’s Rafale fleet would expand to 150 aircraft, in addition to 26 Rafales for the Indian Navy, which is set to operate a carrier-compatible variant of the fighter.

President Macron is expected to be in New Delhi on February 18 to attend the AI summit, with the fighter aircraft proposal emerging as a key backdrop to the high-level bilateral engagement.