The Indian Air Force (IAF), which is facing a critical shortfall in its fighter jet fleet, is set for a capacity enhancement in the near future as India and France have reached a consensus on the modalities of procurement of as many as 114 Rafale F4* fighters, 18 of which New Delhi will receive in flyaway condition.
The Dassault Rafale F4 Star (F4)* is a customised version of the advanced French Rafale F4 fighter jet.
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According to the contract, the remaining 96 fighter jets will be manufactured in India. A report in The Print said the fighter jets manufactured in India will have up to 60 per cent indigenous content.
An ANI report said India would be asking France to enable the integration of Indian weapons and other indigenous systems into the aircraft.
The contract that will be signed between the two countries will also involve the option to upgrade the Indian Rafale to the latest F5 version as and when it becomes available.
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It is not yet known whether the existing Rafale F3 aircraft, which are scheduled for upgrade to the F4 standard, could subsequently be converted to the F5 standard. According to Dassault Aviation, the future Rafale F5 will have robust offensive and defensive capabilities beyond 2060.
The Print report states that IAF Rafale fighter jets will have 13 enhancements that are specific to India.
After the acceptance of necessity and other formalities are completed, the final costing and other finer details will be worked out. The official formalities are expected to be completed either by the end of 2026 or early 2027. If the deal is signed in early 2027, India may start receiving the fighters in flyaway condition from 2030.
The Print report said it is learnt that the final assembly line for the Rafale aircraft will be established at the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) facility in Nagpur, which is a subsidiary of the French aerospace major Dassault Aviation. Various Indian companies, including TATA, Mahindra, and Dynamatic Technologies Limited, are expected to be part of the project.
