The Indian Navy is close to finalizing a landmark deal for 26 Rafale M naval fighter jets, with the contract expected to be signed by early 2025.
“Rafale Marine is at an advanced stage of negotiations and is only one level short of taking it to the Cabinet Committee on Security,” Navy Chief Admiral DK Tripathi stated at the annual Navy Day press conference on December 2, 2024, indicating that the agreement could be finalized as early as the following month.
In an interview with Europe 1 on August 30, 2024, Éric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, said he expected another contract before the end of 2024. Yet, according to La Tribune, negotiations were reportedly still ongoing with the missile maker MBDA regarding the price of missiles to arm the fighters.
The Rafale naval wing will equip the INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously constructed aircraft carrier.
A strategic edge for the Indian Navy
Designed for carrier operations, the Rafale M includes a reinforced undercarriage and an extended, strengthened nose. Despite these enhancements, the naval variant shares over 80% of its features with the 36 Rafale B and C jets already operated by the Indian Air Force. This commonality is expected to reduce training, repair, and maintenance costs across the two fleets.
Modifications specific to the Indian Navy’s needs include integrating indigenous weaponry, namely Astra beyond-visual-range missiles and Rudram anti-radiation missiles, and the domestically developed Uttam active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. However, the integration of the Uttam radar is expected to take around eight years.
In addition, India has secured agreements for an increased supply of Meteor long-range air-to-air missiles and advanced anti-ship weaponry. Provisions for 40 drop tanks sought by the Indian Air Force have also been included in the naval deal.
The Indian Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the purchase on July 13, 2023, a day before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Paris as the guest of honor for Bastille Day celebrations. The Rafale M was selected over Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet following a rigorous evaluation under the Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighters (MRCBF) program.
The acquisition of Rafale M jets is expected to significantly boost the Indian Navy’s air capabilities. The primary objective of this acquisition is to eventually replace the aging fleet of carrier-borne Russian Mikoyan MiG-29K Fulcrum-D fighters with a more modern and capable aircraft.
India is also considering the Rafale as part of the Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) program, which involves the potential procurement of 114 additional fighters for the Indian Air Force.
