DAC Clears ₹32 Billion France Deal For 114 Rafale Jets; 90 To Be Made in India

The much-awaited Rafale deal is finally done! Or, at least, as TIMES NOW had mentioned on January 20, the Defence Acquisition Council, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has cleared the necessity of the Indian Air Force (IAF) having 114 Rafales to the two squadrons it already has. This is a huge deal: 32 billion euros and most importantly, keeping in mind Aatmanirbhar Bharat or self-reliance, 90 of the Rafales will be made in India. Each Rafale will have 50 per cent indigenously-made products, a big positive.Just as importantly, the Rafale will carry Indian weapons like the BrahMos, used with such force during Operation Sindoor, the 4-day anti-terror operation in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and the Astra. Besides, the DAC

has also cleared the Scalp air-to-air missile for the Rafale. The Brahmos is a supersonic cruise missile with a 400 km range and was deadly during Operation Sindoor. The longer-range version of the air-to-air Astra is under development. The 114 Rafale fighters will be a huge boost for the Indian Air Force, down to 29-30 squadrons when 40 are necessary. It will also help the Make in India process.

P8I deal

The DAC also cleared the P8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft for the Navy. This was stuck as a result of the political tensions with the United States of America. Now that the trade deal is done, negotiations can begin.