Overview
- The Defence Acquisition Council is expected to take up the Indian Air Force’s 114‑jet Rafale proposal next week, with any clearance to be sent to the Cabinet Committee on Security for final approval.
- The plan under discussion is valued at about ₹3.25 lakh crore and envisages most aircraft being built in India, with reports citing roughly 80% production in country.
- Current contours cited by officials include a mix of 88 single-seat and 26 twin-seat jets, about 18 aircraft delivered in fly‑away condition, and indigenous content estimated at roughly 30–40%, with source code retained by the French side.
- Defence planners frame the purchase as critical to address the IAF’s fighter gap, with about 30 operational squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42.
- The timing coincides with President Emmanuel Macron’s Feb. 18–19 visit to New Delhi, as separate reporting flags French supply‑chain changes that could raise future export‑control questions without altering the immediate proposal.