New Delhi: In a major boost for the Indian Navy, a mega deal to buy 26 Rafale Marine fighter aircraft from France was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), reported ANI citing sources. As per the news agency, the government-to-government deal worth over Rs 63,000 crore will be signed soon. Indian Navy will get 22 single-seater and four twin-seater aircraft as part of the deal.
The deal will be around Rs 63,000 crore. Rafale Marine jets are the naval variant of 36 Rafale fighter jets procured by India for the Indian Air Force (IAF) between 2020 and 2022.
The deliveries of Rafale M jets are expected to begin four years after the deal is signed, reported India Today. The media house reported that the first batch of these jets will be delivered to the Indian Navy by the end of 2029, while the entire order is expected to be completed by 2031.
These jets will replace MiG-29K fleet. and will operate from India’s aircraft carriers, INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant.
In July 2023, the Defence Ministry approved the purchase of these fighter jets for the Indian Navy from France.
Manufactured by Dassault Aviation, these Rafale-M jets will boost the capabilities of the Indian Navy amid the growing presence of neighbouring China in the Indian Ocean region (IOR).
These jets are designed for carrier-based operations. They are equipped with advance equipment to carry out Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) operations.
The Rafale-M jets are also capable of carrying Meteor, Exocet and other advanced missile systems. They will have Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar.
