Overview
- The IAF’s 114-Rafale proposal is with the Defence Ministry for internal scrutiny before expected moves to the Defence Procurement Board and then the Defence Acquisition Council for Acceptance of Necessity.
- Officials are pushing to accelerate approvals, with sources indicating a potential contract next fiscal year valued at about ₹2 lakh crore.
- The package reportedly includes roughly 18 aircraft in fly-away condition for quicker induction, with the rest to be built on a new Indian final assembly line and supported by local MRO capacity.
- Dassault has signalled partnerships with Indian firms including Tata and Mahindra and recently took a 51% stake in DRAL, while targeting around 60% localisation.
- The jets are expected to be F4/F4.1 standard with upgraded sensors, electronic warfare and longer-range weapons, as the IAF faces a drop to 29 fighter squadrons this month and HAL works to ramp Tejas Mk1A output despite engine supply constraints.