India finalises request letter for 114 Rafales, to ship it to France quickly | India Information
3 min learnNew DelhiUp to date: Might 25, 2026 05:31 AM IST
India has finalised the Letter of Request (LoR) for the procurement of 114 Rafale fighter jets for the IAF and is anticipated to ship it to France “very quickly”, inside the “subsequent few weeks”, The Indian Categorical has learnt.
Round 90 jets from this set of 114 are to be manufactured in India by means of a collaboration between the French producer Dassault Aviation and an Indian firm, whereas the remainder will arrive in fly-away situation.
Senior officers mentioned that quickly after France responds to the LoR, India will formalise the Request for Proposal (RFP) for acquisition.
An LoR is a proper government-to-government doc used to provoke such procurement, underneath the International Navy Gross sales (FMS) or Intergovernmental Settlement (IGA) route, outlining the capabilities, portions and technical necessities wanted.
In such procurements, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) first grants its approval, following which the LoR is issued. As soon as the international authorities responds, mentioning the value, availability and logistical help, negotiations happen between the 2 sides. The Cupboard Committee on Safety (CCS) has to grant approval earlier than the ultimate contract is signed.
On this case, the LoR got here three months after the DAC cleared the long-awaited proposal to purchase the Rafales underneath an inter-governmental deal. IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh is scheduled to go to France early subsequent month earlier than Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits later in June.
The IAF already operates 36 Rafales, and the Navy is ready to induct 26 Rafale M plane for provider operations over the following few years. The procurement of further Rafales will assist minimise logistical and coaching prices.
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The indigenous content material of the jets can be almost 50 per cent. Whereas having full entry to the supply code is unlikely, India has been negotiating to acquire the Interface Management Paperwork (ICD) for the jets, to have the ability to combine indigenous weapons comparable to Astra and BrahMos-NG. An ICD is a technical blueprint on how an plane’s onboard programs talk with exterior weapons, sensors and gear.
The Authorities is aiming to signal the contract by the tip of this 12 months, as soon as industrial negotiations conclude and the CCS approves the acquisition.
The method for the acquisition of recent fighter jets for IAF has picked up over the previous 12 months after a protracted wait of almost 18 years. The Rafales can be essential in filling the hole within the IAF’s fighter squadron energy, which stands at 29 towards the sanctioned energy of 42. They’re anticipated to bridge this functionality hole till the maturity of India’s indigenous fighter programmes, LCA Mk1A, LCA Mk2 and the fifth-generation Superior Medium Fight Plane (AMCA).
The AMCA is anticipated to enter service solely after 2035, and planners are contemplating procuring a separate fifth-generation fighter within the interim. Russia has offered particulars of its fifth-generation jet Su-57, however India is but to decide.
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