NEW DELHI: Indian officials have cleared the proposed purchase of $39 billion worth of defence equipment, including a significant number of Rafale jets, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday, just days ahead of a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron.
A defence ministry source told AFP that the decision covers the purchase of 114 French Rafale fighter jets, adding to a few dozen already ordered for the Indian Air Force.
New Delhi has sought over the past decade to reduce its dependence on Russia, its traditional main supplier of military equipment, turning to other countries while pushing to boost domestic production.
A defence ministry statement that did not specify the number of jets under the proposed deal said that “the majority” of them would be manufactured in India.
Buying spree to fix critical shortage in ageing fleet; recent conflict with Pakistan highlighted New Delhi’s need for a defence upgrade
Media reports in India, citing unnamed government sources, suggested Dassault Aviation could manufacture at least 90 jets in the country under the deal.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has considered such a major order of multi-role fighter aircraft for years, pushing all potential suppliers to transfer technology and manufacturing to India.
The defence ministry statement said the procurement would enhance the air force’s “dominance” and “deterrence capabilities... with long range offensive strikes”.
The purchase was approved by the defence acquisition council, which comprises top military officers and the defence minister, and can now move to commercial negotiations.
These would be followed by a final approval by the powerful cabinet committee on security, which is chaired by the prime minister. Macron is set to visit India on Tuesday.
Ageing fleet
The Indian air force has retired some of its ageing aircraft, and now has a fleet of 29 jets — well below the officially approved 42.
Bureaucratic hurdles and insufficient domestic production have been blamed for the shortage. In September, New Delhi announced a $7-bn deal to acquire 97 domestically designed and built Tejas jets. The announcement came a day before the air force retired its Soviet-era MiG-21s.
Russian MiG-29s and French Mirage 2000 are expected to retire over the next few years. Gradually turning away from Russian military gear, India has increased imports from the United States, France and Israel.
Since 2015, India has bought 36 Rafale jets worth around $8.7bn and in April announced a fresh multi-billion dollar deal to buy 26 more. Modi’s government has also liberalised laws to ease private investments in domestic defence manufacturing.
A four-day conflict with nuclear-armed Pakistan last year highlighted the need for Delhi to upgrade its defence capabilities. New Delhi pledged a record $85bn defence budget earlier this month, a sum which defence minister Rajnath Singh described as “unprecedented”.
Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2026
