New Delhi, April 9 — The Cabinet Committee on Security, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has cleared the acquisition of 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets for the Indian Navy at an estimated cost of ₹65,000 crore, government sources said on Wednesday.
The deal, set to be inked with French aerospace firm Dassault Aviation, includes weapons, simulators, spare parts, ancillary equipment, logistics support, and crew training.
According to officials, the Rafale-Ms will be deployed on India’s aircraft carriers — INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant — to address urgent operational needs until India’s indigenous Twin-Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) becomes combat-ready.
“The TEDBF is scheduled for its maiden flight in 2028, followed by a series of flight trials,” a senior defence official said.
The Rafale-M is a twin-engine naval variant currently in use by the French Navy on its aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle. The Indian Air Force already operates 36 land-based Rafales, though the marine version is equipped with reinforced landing gear and corrosion-resistant features tailored for sea-based operations.
The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, had given its nod to the Navy’s Rafale-M proposal in July 2023.
Currently, the Indian Navy relies on the Russian-made MiG-29K fighters, inducted in 2011, for carrier-based missions. Of the 45 originally procured, four have crashed. The jets are operational on both of India’s carriers but are considered insufficient to meet growing maritime threats.
“With the region’s security dynamics rapidly evolving, the Rafale-M will bridge the capability gap at sea until our own fighters are ready,” a naval officer noted.
