The Defence Minister-headed Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Thursday cleared the procurement of 114 Rafale fighter aircraft—valued at a massive ₹3.25 lakh crore—for the Indian Air Force (IAF), as well as six more Poseidon 8I (P8I) aircraft for the Indian Navy, top sources have told THE WEEK.
The IAF already operates two squadrons of the Rafale, which proved its mettle during Operation Sindoor. These two squadrons are based in Ambala and Hasimara. The Indian Navy has already ordered 26 additional Rafale-M (Marine) variants, with the first delivery expected by 2030.
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The Indian Navy currently operates 12 P8I aircraft. The 114 fighters represent an additional six to seven fighter squadrons for the IAF; however, even this is not enough to adequately equip the force as per the required mandate. Needing to field at least 42 squadrons, the IAF has only about 30 squadrons—the lowest number it has operated in decades.
The additional requirement of seven to eight squadrons is expected to be filled by the home-made Tejas aircraft, the rolling-out of which has been plagued by notorious delays. A typical Tejas squadron comprises 20 aircraft, including four in reserve.
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The DAC is the apex procurement panel of the Ministry of Defence. Proposals, once cleared by the DAC, are placed before the Prime Minister-headed Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for final approval.
The versatile maritime surveillance aircraft, the P8I, is deployed for an entire range of operations—from specific counter-insurgency operations to being deployed to keep an eye on the submarines of the adversary in the oceans. Having clocked much more than 40,000 mishap-free flight hours, the dozen-odd P8Is in the Indian Navy have completed more than a decade of deployment.
