UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 10th April 2025

Home UPSC Current Affairs Centre approves ₹63,000-crore deal for procuring 26 Rafale-M jets from France

Centre approves ₹63,000-crore deal for procuring 26 Rafale-M jets from France

Why in News?

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS approved a nearly ₹63,000-crore deal for the procurement of 26 Rafale-M fighter jets from France for the Indian Navy,

Introduction

On April 9, 2025, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared a ₹63,000-crore contract for the procurement of 26 Rafale-M fighter aircraft from France for the Indian Navy.
This major news is likely to strengthen India’s naval air combat capacity.

Procurement Details

Total Jets: 26 Rafale-M (Marine version) fighter planes.
22 single-seater carrier-capable fighter planes.
4 twin-seater training planes (not carrier-compatible).
Mode of Acquisition: Government-to-Government (G2G) purchase from France.
Approximate Cost: ₹63,000 crore.

Anticipated Contract Signing: Towards the end of April 2025, during the French Defence Minister’s visit to India.

Delivery Schedule

Initial delivery anticipated 3.5 years from contract signing.
Complete delivery anticipated within 6.5 years from the signing date.

Strategic Significance

The Rafale-M will be flying from India’s aircraft carriers, including:

INS Vikramaditya (acquired from Russia)
INS Vikrant (indigenously constructed and commissioned in 2022).

Boosts India’s carrier-based air strike power in the Indian Ocean Region.

Complementary to the Indian Air Force’s current 36 Rafale jets, which were bought under a ₹60,000-crore agreement in 2016.

Background & Developments

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, gave initial approval for procurement on July 13, 2023.
The Indian Navy evaluated the performance of Rafale-M during the Varuna naval exercise with France, conducted on board the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

Associated Pending Defence Agreement

The CCS is yet to give the green signal to another proposed agreement with France for the purchase of three more Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines.

Implication for India-France Defence Relations:

The agreement enhances the strategic partnership between India and France, especially in the Indo-Pacific.
Strengthens India’s pledge towards maritime security and indigenisation in defence.

About Rafales

Launched in 2001, it is a multirole twin-engine fighter plane created and constructed by Dassault Aviation produced for both carrier service with the French Navy as well as for service with the French Air Force.
India signed a Rs 59,000-crore agreement in 2016 to buy 36 Rafale fighter aircraft from French aerospace behemoth Dassault Aviation following a near seven-year process of acquiring 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force that failed to come through.
The MMRCA acquisition was delayed as there were disagreements over the production of the jets in India.
As compared to the previous deal i.e. MMRCA, Rafale has greater technological progress, lesser life cycle cost and specifications as per the warfare requirements of India.

Specification

Air Supremacy: Having a vast array of weapons, the Rafale is designed to carry out air supremacy, interdiction (act of interfering), aerial reconnaissance (observation to find an enemy), ground support, deep strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence missions.
Wide Weapons Suite: Meteor missile, Scalp cruise missile and MICA weapons system will form the core of the weapons suite of the Rafale aircraft.
Meteor: It is the next-generation Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to transform air-to-air combat.
The Meteor missile is capable of hitting enemy planes from 150 km. The Meteor missile can blast enemy planes before they even reach near the Indian aircraft.
SCALP Cruise Missiles: It is capable of striking targets at 300 km distance.
MICA Missile System: It is an extremely versatile air-to-air missile. It has a radar seeker and can be launched for the short-range to long-range as well up to 100 km.
It’s already in service with the IAF i.e. Mirages and is Rafales’ main weapon system as well.
Air to Air Target: With the capability of striking air-to-air targets from distances of up to 150 km and striking land targets safely from 300 km inside enemy lines, they are among the most lethal fighter planes operating in the world.
Flight Hours: The aircraft have accumulated 30,000 flight hours in service.