The Defence Acquisition Council, led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has approved the purchase of 114 Rafale fighter jets from France at a cost of ₹3.25 lakh crore. French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to visit India on the 17th of this month. During his visit, the agreement for this deal is expected to be signed. Ahead of this, the Defence Acquisition Council gave its approval for the plan to buy 114 Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force on February 12. Last month, the Defence Procurement Board had already cleared the proposal. The total cost of the 114 Rafale jets is estimated at ₹3.25 lakh crore. The Rafale aircraft is manufactured by France’s Dassault Aviation. However, instead of signing the deal directly with Dassault Aviation, the Indian government will sign the agreement with the French government. Therefore, this will be a government-to-government agreement between the two countries. Under this deal, the Rafale fighter jets will be manufactured in India. Dassault Aviation will provide the necessary technology transfer for production.After receiving approval from the Defence Acquisition Council, the proposal must now be cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security. Only after that will the final agreement be signed. Following increased security concerns after Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force has been requesting more Rafale jets to strengthen its capabilities. With this approval, that demand is expected to be fulfilled. Since this is the last quarter of the current financial year, the Defence Acquisition Council has also cleared other important procurement proposals for the armed forces.
