In order to move forward with the realization of its new multirole fighter aircraft (MRFA) acquisition program, the Indian Air Force is pushing ahead with the purchase of up to 114 new Rafale fighters in a government-to-government agreement with France. This would mark a way forward after several postponements that negatively impacted the project. According to local reports, the institution would seek for the agreement to include the possibility of producing at least part of the aircraft locally, thus maintaining the focus on strengthening indigenous industrial capabilities and facilitating approval by New Delhi.
Specifically, the Indian Air Force is reportedly planning to present the MRFA case within a month to obtain Initial Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), which would allow the procurement process to formally begin if approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), currently headed by Rajnath Singh. Asked about the matter by a local publication, one Indian official—speaking on condition of anonymity—stated: “The government will make the final decision when the MRFA case reaches the DAC. However, the Air Force has projected an urgent need for additional Rafales to stem the decline in its fighter squadrons.”
In this regard, two major issues stand out: the loss of aircraft in the framework of Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, and the ongoing retirement of the oldest units still in service. In the first case, it should be highlighted that Rafales were widely used to carry out strikes against Pakistani targets, although this also resulted in losses in engagements with Chinese-made J-10C fighters operated by Pakistan’s Air Force. While India has not officially confirmed the number of jets shot down, Islamabad claims to have destroyed up to three Rafales through the use of PL-15E missiles—systems with a 200-kilometer range that caught Indian pilots off guard, as they had estimated the range at around 150 kilometers.
On the other hand, it is worth noting that India is moving steadily toward the retirement of its locally produced, Soviet-designed MiG-21 platforms, after more than 60 years of service in the Air Force. This, combined with delays in the production of the indigenous LCA Tejas Mk1A due to late delivery of its American F404 engines, has reduced the number of combat-ready squadrons available to the force, especially when facing strong potential adversaries like China and Pakistan. In concrete terms, once the MiG-21s are fully retired, the institution will be left with 29 available squadrons instead of the 42 required to meet its strategic needs.
Given this urgent scenario, the Indian Air Force is betting on the aforementioned government-to-government proposal with France, thus avoiding a prolonged open tender involving multiple global contenders. Should this path be chosen, the country could leverage a partnership with proven precedent since 2016, when New Delhi completed the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters for around 59 billion rupees, later deploying them to Ambala and Hasimara bases—both of which, it is noted, have infrastructure capable of hosting up to one additional squadron each.
It is also worth highlighting that the Indian Navy has selected the Rafale-M as the platform to replace its MiG-29Ks currently deployed on the INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya aircraft carriers, with their arrival estimated between 2028 and 2030. In detail, this refers to an agreement worth over 63 billion rupees signed in April of this year, which includes the delivery of 22 single-seat and 4 twin-seat aircraft. With this selection, the force ruled out the U.S.-made F/A-18 Super Hornet from Boeing, which had been the other finalist in the process.
*Images used for illustrative purposes only
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