India aims to conclude 114-Rafale fighter deal by financial year-end

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has said India expects to conclude the procurement of 114 Rafale fighter jets by the end of the current financial year, with the bulk to be assembled in India and Indian weapons integrated on the platform.

Singh told ANI on Oct 1 that the French commercial bid was under evaluation and the defence ministry should be able to close the procurement cycle before March 2027. The programme follows the Defence Acquisition Council's February 2026 clearance for 114 multi-role fighter aircraft.

The deal is structured as buy-and-make: only a limited number of jets would arrive in fly-away condition from France, while around 90–94 of the 114 would be assembled in India with significant indigenisation. Dassault has agreed to integrate Indian weapons on the new jets and the naval Rafales already contracted.

Air Chief Marshal A P Singh said on Oct 3 the acquisition is critical to arresting the decline in fighter squadrons, noting the IAF needs 36–40 new aircraft a year. The French side has accepted India's production mandate, creating a second fighter line alongside the indigenous Tejas programme.