India’s approval for a 3.6 trillion rupee (US$40 billion) purchase of defence equipment on Thursday – including 114 Rafale French fighter jets – will significantly boost the capabilities of the country’s armed forces amid heightened tensions with Pakistan, analysts say.
The decision comes at a time when the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) fighter squadron strength has shrunk to 29, well below the 42 considered essential in the event of a simultaneous war with Pakistan and China.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to New Delhi next week will also underscore India’s status as one of the largest non-French operators of the Rafale, a twin-engined, multi-role fighter jet widely regarded as one of the deadliest in the world.
India already has 36 Rafales – the IAF received the last C variants in December 2024 – and has ordered 26 M naval variants.
“With only 29 fighter squadrons, the IAF faces a daunting task in a highly dynamic and complex geostrategic environment and there is a need to find multiple ways to overcome this shortage,” retired IAF air marshal Ravi Gopal Krishana Kapoor told This Week in Asia.
The new additions would be a significant boost given that the fighter jet performed “very well” in Operation Sindoor last May, he said.
Rafale, Defence Acquisition Council, India, New Delhi, China, Emmanuel Macron, Tata Advanced Systems, GE Aerospace, Narendra Modi, Pakistan, Indian Air Force, Ravi Gopal Krishana Kapoor, Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, Operation Sindoor, HAL#Indias #US40 #billion #order #French #Rafales #local #fighter #jet #makers1770962166
Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft
Billion
China
Defence Acquisition Council
Emmanuel Macron
fighter
French
GE Aerospace
HAL
India
Indian Air Force
Indias
Jet
Local
makers
Narendra Modi
New Delhi
Operation Sindoor
order
Pakistan
Rafale
Rafales
Ravi Gopal Krishana Kapoor
Tata Advanced Systems
US40
