India-France Mega Deal to Acquire 26 Rafale Marine Jets from France

India is set to acquire 26 Rafale Marine fighter aircraft from France, as the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has approved the India-France mega deal. This deal is over Rs 63,000 crore. The agreement involves 22 single seat and twin seat trainers coupled with weapons, simulators, crew training, and five-year performance-based logistics support. The shipment is expected within 37 to 65 months.

This India-France Mega Deal is expected to be signed over the next few weeks. These aircraft will be manufactured by the private French aviation company Dassault Aviation. These Rafale-M aircraft will be deployed on aircraft carriers like INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya. Till now, both these ships of the Indian Navy carry out their missions with old MiG 29-K fighter aircraft. The fleet of Rafale-M aircraft will replace the fleet of old MiG-29K aircraft.

However, tha nation  wanted to do the India-France Mega Deal of Rafale Marine for the Navy at the same base price, which was kept while purchasing 36 aircraft for the Air Force in 2016. Information about this India-France Mega Deal first came to light during PM Modi’s visit to France in 2023. After this, the Ministry of Defense issued a letter of request, which was accepted by France in December 2023. Earlier in September 2016, India had purchased 36 Rafale fighter jets from France for the Air Force in a India-France Mega Deal worth Rs 59 thousand crore.

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The Rafale M fighter jets being purchased for the Indian Navy have been specially designed according to the marine requirements. These jets are capable of carrying dangerous and advanced missiles like Meteor, Exocet, and SCALP, which makes their combat capability very strong.

Special Technologies of Rafale M

• It is fitted with an AESA radar (Active Electronically Scanned Array), which helps in identifying the enemy quickly and accurately.
• It also has the SPECTRA electronic warfare system, which helps the jet hide, escape, and protect itself from enemy attack.
• This jet can go up to the speed of Mach 1.8 (about twice the speed of sound).
• Its combat range is more than 1,850 km.
• The jet has the facility of mid-air refueling, which allows it to fly longer and carry out long-distance missions.

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