India is poised to finalise its biggest-ever weapons agreement this week as the Defence Ministry prepares to clear a Rs 3.25 lakh crore deal to buy 114 Rafale fighter jets from France.
The decision is expected just days before French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Delhi, sources said.
The deal will include provisions to manufacture around 100 Rafales in India, marking a significant technology transfer and strengthening the ‘Make in India’ programme. Once confirmed, India will become one of the largest non-French operators of the Rafale, a twin-engine, multi-role fighter jet known for air superiority and precision strike missions.
India already operates 36 Rafales, with the last ‘C’ variant delivered in December 2024, and has ordered 26 naval variants (‘M’ version) worth ₹63,000 crore for deployment on aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya.
The Rafales have seen combat in India, participating in Operation Sindoor last year following the Pahalgam terror attack. They launched SCALP cruise missiles capable of striking hardened targets over 250 km away. The jets also carry Meteor air-to-air missiles, Hammer stand-off weapons, and the Spectra electronic warfare suite.
In June 2025, France and India announced production transfer deals between Dassault Aviation and Tata Advanced Systems Limited. Tata is setting up a facility in Hyderabad to manufacture fuselage sections, with production expected to begin in 2028.
The Rafale deal underscores India’s growing defence partnership with France and its push to modernize the Air Force with advanced combat technology.
