iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Contract negotiations between India and France for the Rs 50,000 crore Rafale Marine jet deal are likely to begin on Thursday, May 30, as the high-level French team arrives in the country.
The French delegation, comprising government officials and representatives from Dassault Aviation (Rafale manufacturer), and Thales (weapons systems integrator), will engage in discussions with India’s Ministry of Defence Contract Negotiation Committee (CNC) regarding the potential sale of 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets to India.
India seeks to acquire these advanced jets to modernize its naval aviation and replace its aging fleet of MiG-29K fighters currently deployed on its two aircraft carriers, the Russian-origin INS Vikramaditya and the new indigenously built INS Vikrant. The deal, estimated at ₹500 billion, is crucial for India’s naval defense strategy.
Since 2009, India has operated 45 MiG-29K jets, purchased for $2 billion. 40 of those MiG-29K are operational. However, these jets are now considered obsolete due to serviceability issues and other operational challenges.
According to the national English daily The Times of India, the proposed purchase of the fully-loaded 22 single-seat fighter jets and four twin-seat trainers includes weapons, simulators, spares, crew training, and logistics support.
The French delegation’s visit coincides with the impending Indian general election results on June 4. The finalization of this government-to-government deal is anticipated following approval from the Prime Minister-led cabinet committee on security, likely within the current financial year. This urgency is partly driven by China’s increasing naval presence in the Indian Ocean, as highlighted by a recent Stimson Center paper.
In December last year, the Ministry of Defence and the Indian Navy approved France’s Letter of Acceptance (LoA) for 26 Rafale-Marine jets and three additional Scorpene submarines to be built at India’s Mazagon Docks for an estimated ₹300 billion. This followed India’s Letter of Request (LoR) issued in July.
The Stimson Center’s report underscores India’s slow pace of defense reforms and its limited defense budget, currently at 1.9 percent of GDP, as significant obstacles to military modernization. The report highlights the need for faster procurement processes and a robust domestic defense industry.
China’s proactive enhancement of its naval capabilities in the Indian Ocean is believed to be a driving factor behind the proposed deal. The Stimson Center identified India as the top arms importer over the past three decades, noting that India’s defense reforms have been slow. The report outlines three primary goals for India’s defense modernization: improving defense preparedness, revitalizing acquisition policy and procurement procedures, and developing a defense industrial ecosystem.
“India’s defense budget allocation remains far below the demand of 2.5 to 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Contrary to the needs, the defense share of India’s GDP has declined and remains the lowest in the current financial year (2024-25) at 1.90 percent of the GDP in the last 10 years,” The Stimson Center observed further nothing that the growing Chinese threat has made India’s military modernization both inevitable and challenging through the use of strategic reorientation and the state of the art military technologies.
The Defence Ministry constituted the Defence Planning Committee under the chairmanship of the National Security Advisor in 2018. Fast-tracking procurements are among its primary objectives.
Traditionally, India’s military posture and doctrines have been Pakistan-centric, with a continental focus on China. However, contemporary strategic contexts necessitate the creation of Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs) to manage threats from Pakistan, China, and the maritime domain.
India’s Air Force currently operates 36 Rafale jets, customized for Indian needs, purchased for ₹590 crore in a deal signed with France in September 2016. The Rafale-Marine purchase is seen as an interim measure until the indigenous twin-engine deck-based fighter jets, under development, join the Indian Navy in about 10 years.
Compared to India’s two 40,000-ton aircraft carriers, China has two 60,000-ton carriers and is reportedly conducting trials of its third 80,000-ton carrier, positioning it closer to the U.S., which operates 11 carriers exceeding 90,000 tons.
