Overview
- ANI and multiple outlets report the procurement proposal is at an advanced stage in the Defence Ministry, with approval expected soon.
- The missiles are already deployed on the Indian Air Force’s 36 Rafales and are planned for the Navy’s 26 Rafale Marine fighters on order.
- The Meteor, made by MBDA, is a ramjet-powered beyond-visual-range weapon with a quoted reach of about 200 kilometres.
- Coverage attributes the urgency to May’s Operation Sindoor, with sources saying Pakistan’s PL-15 launches failed to hit Indian aircraft.
- India is pursuing a parallel indigenous track as DRDO develops roughly 700 Astra Mark 2 BVR missiles for Su-30MKI and Tejas, with an Indian anti-radiation missile also under consideration for Rafales.