New Delhi/Paris. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently concluded a multi-city State visit to France focused on technology, innovation, and strategic bilateral relations. The Rafale and other military systems were part of the Summit and delegation-level talks.
France openly backs the Make in India initiative in defence, based on an equal partnership. They signalled a new model for the Rafale deal ahead of PM Modi’s visit. The Rafale procurement is a mega ₹3.25 lakh crore ($39 billion) deal for 114 Rafale fighter jets. Recently, the Indian Ministry of Defence issued a formal Letter of Request (LoR) to the French government.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, met on 12 February 2026 and gave the nod for 114 additional Rafale jets. With the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) granting the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), the project has moved to the crucial stage of issuing the Request for Proposal (RFP), followed by technical evaluation, field trials (if necessary), and commercial negotiations. For major acquisitions, final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is required before the contract is signed.
Under the current proposal, roughly 90 to 96 aircraft will be manufactured in India through a joint partnership between Dassault Aviation and an Indian private sector company. The remaining aircraft (likely around 18 to 24 jets) will be supplied directly from France in flyaway condition to meet immediate operational requirements. France is expected to reply with detailed pricing, logistics, and production timelines within two to three months, after which formal price negotiations will begin.
Indian Air Chief Marshal AP Singh recently concluded a visit to France, where his delegation held high-level discussions with senior officials from Dassault Aviation and MBDA. The Chief toured the French manufacturing facilities to understand and assess the technical cooperation and production capacities involved in the project.
Discussions also centred on the Transfer of Technology (ToT) and integrating indigenous Indian weapons and avionics systems without compromising protected proprietary software.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has planned new inductions aimed at arresting the steady decline in its fighter squadron strength.
The Fighter Aircraft Urgency
As of date, the Indian Air Force (IAF) fields only 29 fighter aircraft squadrons against an authorised strength of 42.5, a gap aggravated by delays in indigenous programmes. The Indian Air Force (IAF) thus urgently requires additional fighter aircraft.
How to achieve this is the big question.
The Indian Air Force (IAF)‘s Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) programme, which includes the Rafale procurement, is meant to acquire 114 advanced fighter jets to replace ageing fleets and bolster squadron strength.
Eight contenders responded to the Request for Information (RFI) that was formally sent out in April 2018. Valued at around $20–$39 billion, the deal focuses on indigenous manufacturing. The programme aims to address severe operational gaps.
Any detailed selection process requires time. The Rafale has been tried and tested in various exercises, and more recently during Operation Sindoor. Acquiring the Rafale would retain continuity and avoid adding another aircraft type to the fleet. A Government-to-Government (G2G) deal could be signed quickly, as the price identification already exists. The 114 aircraft, when added to the 26 Rafale-Marine jets of the Indian Navy, would make a viable figure for the Make in India initiative and to set up a full assembly line.
There is already a project to manufacture the Rafale fuselage in India. France’s Safran is establishing a dedicated facility in Hyderabad, India, for the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) of the M88 engines used in the Rafale fighter jets. India’s future fighter fleet will serve not only as a military asset but also as a central pillar of the country’s operational capabilities and national strategy.
Meanwhile, the US has cleared a $686-million upgrade package for Pakistan‘s F-16 fighter jets that will also extend the life of the Pakistan Air Force’s F-16 fleet until 2040. Furthermore, China already has nearly 400 J-20 fifth-generation fighters. Pakistan is operating J-10C fighters armed with PL-15 Long-Range Beyond-Visual-Range (LR-BVR) missiles. Pakistan has sought to acquire the Chinese J-35 fifth-generation aircraft, which could be inducted as early as 2027.
With China and Pakistan working in collusion and by adding to and modernising their fighter fleets, regional military balances have undergone a significant transformation.
India needs to act on many counts and make up for long delays.
Broad Outline
In April 2025, through an additional Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA), the contract for 26 Rafale-Marine aircraft for the Indian Navy, costing ₹63,887 crore (approximately $7.6 billion), was signed. The Rafale-Marine has 95 per cent commonality with Indian Air Force (IAF) fighters, thus ensuring a very high degree of interoperability.
India’s Rafale deal will include 88 single-seat and 26 twin-seat variants. The Indian industry will gain significantly in technology and expertise while manufacturing them domestically, and it stands to reason that the Indian production line will produce a substantially higher number of jets than the 114 being contracted.
Transfer of Technology (ToT) will boost India’s defence manufacturing under the Make in India initiative with up to 60 per cent, or gradually more, indigenous content. The jets will likely be assembled at a final assembly line expected to be established in Nagpur.
The Indian Air Force (IAF)‘s current Rafale jets are of the F3R standard. Ninety of the new aircraft will be Rafale F4 multirole fighters. The remaining 24 should be the next-generation Rafale F5 variants.
The deal will include SCALP and advanced variants of Meteor missiles.
IAF’s Existing Rafale – F3R Standard
The Rafale is considered a 4.5-generation fighter. It has forward hemisphere stealth and super-cruise capability.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale aircraft are highly customised with some India-specific modifications. Essentially, they are of the F3-plus standard.
India initially acquired 36 Rafale F3R standard variants through a €7.87 billion deal (approximately $8.5 billion) signed in 2016. It was a G2G contract prioritising speed and political assurance.
The platform combines air superiority, deep-strike, nuclear delivery, and electronic warfare roles. The aircraft features significant India-specific enhancements, and the deal included infrastructure for two fully operational airbases.
During Operation Sindoor, the Rafale‘s survivability and the integration of long-range stand-off munitions, electronic attack, and real-time data fusion were well demonstrated and appreciated.
The India-specific enhancements include Israeli helmet-mounted displays, the integration of Spice-1000 glide bombs, advanced jammers, cold-start capability for high-altitude bases (like Leh), Indian satellite communications, and integration with indigenous weapons like Astra missiles, among others.
The F3R standard became operational around 2019. It serves as a bridge to the next-generation Rafale F4 standard, which adds advanced connectivity and further capabilities.
Rafale F4
Development of the Rafale F4 standard began in 2019. The standard improved on-board processing, external connectivity, and upgraded the Thales Spectra self-defence system.
Radar and sensor upgrades facilitate the detection of airborne stealth targets at long range. With improved communications equipment, it is also more effective in network-centric warfare. Flight tests began in 2021, and the first Rafale F4 aircraft was delivered in 2023.
The French Air and Space Force (FASF) aircraft are being upgraded to this standard.
The UAE is the first foreign customer of the Rafale F4. The UAE’s deal to acquire 80 Dassault Aviation Rafale F4 fighter jets from France for $19 billion was finalised in December 2021.
The Rafale F4 will provide enhanced survivability and sensor-fusion-based dominance in highly contested environments. The Indian proposal envisages Rafale F4 aircraft deliveries beginning around 2029. The Rafale F4 will continue to undergo planned upgrades until 2035 to extend both capability and relevance.
Rafale F5
Dassault Aviation and its partners are already working on the Rafale F5 standard, which will be ready by around 2030. The upgrade will be incremental. The Rafale F5 will share some features with next-generation European aircraft.
The Rafale F5 standard will feature new sensors, armaments, and faster, more secure abilities to communicate and collaborate.
The aircraft will have a significantly improved electronic warfare suite, with advanced capabilities for the Suppression or Destruction of Enemy Defences (SEAD/DEAD), using the latest jamming systems and anti-radiation weapons. It will be a further evolution of the existing Thales Spectra EW and jamming system and will also create a “defensive bubble” around the aircraft.
The Rafale F5 will also introduce fibre-optic cabling. All of these enhancements will greatly improve penetration in contested environments. The Rafale F5 will also act as a sensor-truck with data fusion and processing abilities, allowing it to take on a tactical flying command post role. The Rafale F5 is envisioned to bridge fifth- and sixth-generation capabilities.
The Rafale F5 will also be modified to carry the Anglo-French Future Cruise Missile (FCM) and Future Anti-Ship Missile (FASM). The T-REX engine will deliver nearly 20 per cent greater thrust than the current M88 engines.
It will be a “Super Rafale” that will be further modified to carry hypersonic, nuclear-capable guided missiles. Dassault Aviation refers to it as an Air Combat System within a system, rather than just a fighter jet, unlike the current Rafale F4 variant.
Rafale F5 deliveries were initially planned to start in 2029, but discussions are underway to begin delivering them as early as 2027.
France continues to see a market for the Rafale F5 among nations unable to, or not wanting to, acquire the F-35 for geopolitical reasons.
Notably, the Rafale is distinct from other European fighters because it is almost entirely built by one country, with Dassault Aviation (airframe), Thales (avionics and EW), and Safran (aero-engine) covering all the major systems. The Rafale also has a carrier-based maritime variant, the Rafale-Marine.
Indications are that French officials have considered equipping the Rafale to launch small satellites.
The likely India deal envisages 24 Rafale F5 aircraft, with deliveries starting around 2030. The Rafale F4 aircraft may also be upgraded later. The Rafale would become a cornerstone of India’s operational credibility and deterrence.
The Rafale is planned to remain the French Air and Space Force (FASF)‘s primary combat aircraft until at least 2040.
Make in India Aero-Engine with France
French aerospace company Safran and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have collaborated to develop India’s first jet engine with Indian Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). With this, Safran will provide a 100 per cent Transfer of Technology to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), including technology for crystal blades. The joint project between Safran and India’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) lab, will develop and produce a 120 kilonewton (kN) engine that will power India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
Rafale’s Current Production Rate
In October 2025, Dassault Aviation hailed the production of the 300th Rafale. As of late 2025, there were 533 firm orders for the Rafale, with France and export customers including India, Egypt, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, the UAE, Serbia, and Indonesia. Of these, nearly 210 are still to be delivered.
Until a year ago, the Rafale production rate was two aircraft per month (24 a year). This has now been increased to three per month (36 per year), with a plan to increase to four per month (48 a year) to handle a growing backlog of orders.
This is a significant increase from previous years and is supported by expansion at the Mérignac factory and new facilities in Cergy-Pontoise.
Dassault Aviation has plans to manufacture the Rafale fuselage in India. With increased Indian orders, a full assembly line will be created in India. Manufacturing under the Make in India initiative would also be more cost-effective. Dassault Aviation could thus source and supply India-made Rafale jets for global customers. Such a plant would also increase India–France options for future aircraft.
To Summarise
India is prioritising domestic manufacturing to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. India’s capability to manufacture global-class aero-structures has been proven with the cabins of the Apache AH-64, Sikorsky S-92 helicopter, and Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. Producing the Rafale F4 and Rafale F5 locally will facilitate learning for India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, which will also imbibe sixth-generation technologies.
India already manufactures Lockheed Martin F-16 wings and its own indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). Manufacturing the fuselage and other components in India will be a major step forward.
Dassault Aviation already has a partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) to manufacture the Rafale fuselage sections in Hyderabad, with a targeted production of up to 24 airframes annually. French engine manufacturer Safran is building the M88 engines MRO for global support.
Dassault Aviation has also established an MRO facility near Noida, Uttar Pradesh, for the Indian Air Force (IAF)‘s Rafale and Mirage 2000 fleets. These facilities will substantially reduce lifecycle costs, improve tarmac availability, and secure complex supply chains.
Traditionally, India and France have enjoyed an exceptionally warm relationship, which is the fruit of deep affinities and the unwavering trust between the two countries since India’s independence. France is rightly considered India‘s most reliable Western friend.
Note: The article was originally written by the Author for India Strategic on 22nd June 2026; it has since been updated.
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