India, France to Sign ₹63,000 Crore Rafale Marine Fighter Jet Deal on Tomorrow

New Delhi: India and France are slated to ink a ₹63,000 crore agreement on Monday in New Delhi for the procurement of 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets, according to defence officials.

Representatives from India’s Defence Ministry and the French Ambassador to India will oversee the signing ceremony. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh is expected to lead the Indian delegation, while both countries’ defence ministers are anticipated to join the event virtually, sources indicated.

Initially, the French Defence Minister was supposed to attend the signing in person but had to cancel due to personal reasons.

Earlier this month, the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave the green light for the deal.

The 26 carrier-based Rafale M jets are urgently needed to bolster operations aboard India’s aircraft carriers, particularly INS Vikrant, amid concerns over the MiG-29K fleet’s maintenance challenges.

These Rafale Marine jets will be specially adapted to meet Indian operational requirements and integrated with INS Vikrant’s air wing. They are intended to serve as an interim solution until India’s indigenous carrier-borne fighter project is ready.

Sources said the signing is expected to take place near the Defence Ministry offices at South Block. The French Defence Minister is likely to arrive in New Delhi on Sunday evening and depart the following night, they added.

The government-to-government deal includes 22 single-seat and 4 twin-seat aircraft, complemented by a comprehensive support package encompassing maintenance, logistics, personnel training, and domestic component production.

The Rafale M jets will operate alongside the existing MiG-29K fighters on Indian aircraft carriers. India already maintains a fleet of 36 Rafale jets procured under a separate 2016 contract deployed at the Ambala and Hasimara airbases.

With this new acquisition, India’s Rafale fleet will grow to 62 aircraft, significantly enhancing the country’s inventory of 4.5-generation combat aircraft.