Overview
- The DAC, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, is slated to meet on February 12 to take up the Indian Air Force’s MRFA proposal ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s visit.
- The plan, valued at about ₹3.25 lakh crore, envisions roughly 18 fly-away aircraft with the balance manufactured in India with technology transfer and high indigenous content.
- The Defence Procurement Board cleared the case last month; after AoN, the file moves to commercial talks and then to the Cabinet Committee on Security for the final decision.
- IAF Vice-Chief Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor called Rafale “the hero of Operation Sindoor” and said the force seeks to induct more MRFA as it operates about 29 squadrons against a sanctioned 42.
- Industrial arrangements reported include private-sector partnerships, existing MRO capacity at Ambala, and planned local production lines with initial fuselage segments targeted around 2028.