Earlier this month, the Cabinet Committee on Security gave a final go ahead for a ₹63,000 crore deal to acquire new Rafale M fighter jets from France that will give the Indian Navy a much-needed capability boost for its aircraft carriers.
As part of the deal 26 marine versions of the Rafale fighters will be bought off the shelf from France, along with an extensive weapons package that will include long range anti-shipping weapons.
The fighter jets have been urgently required as two Indian aircraft carriers – INS Vikramaditya and Vikrant – are now in service and the current fleet of MiG 29K fighters have shown below par performance due to maintenance related issues.
The Rafale M will be customized to Indian requirements and integrated into the aircraft carriers that have a Russian origin Aviation Facility Complex (AFC). The carrier borne jets are being acquired as a stop gap solution till the development of an indigenous carrier borne fighter jet. The development of a Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter is currently underway but is expected to take close to a decade to be operational.
