In a significant decision on Thursday, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft and three additional Scorpene submarines for the Indian Navy.
Chaired by the Defence Minister, the meeting took place as Prime Minister departed for Paris for Bastille Day celebrations and meetings with President Emmanuel Macron.
The Rafale Marine aircraft will be acquired with ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training, and logistic support. The procurement will be done through an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with the French Government.
Out of the 26 aircraft, four are expected to be trainer versions.
With the MiG-29 Ks set to be phased out in the coming years, the procurement of these aircraft is a temporary solution for the Navy’s aircraft carriers, INS Vikramaditya and others, until the indigenous Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under DRDO is ready.
The competition for the Navy’s fighter jet deal was between Boeing’s F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and Dassault Aviation’s Rafale-M. While both met the requirements, Rafale-M was chosen for its common spares and support with the Rafale operated by the Indian Air Force.
The Ministry of Defence announced that DAC has approved the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of the 26 fighters and three submarines.
The total cost of the aircraft deal is estimated to be over Rs 50,000 crore.
Additionally, the contract will include the integration of Indian-designed equipment and the establishment of a Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) Hub for various systems.
The three additional submarines will be procured under the Buy (Indian) category and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL).
The MDL is already building six Scorpene class submarines under Project-75 with technology transfer from Naval Group. The procurement of additional submarines with higher indigenous content will not only enhance the Navy’s operational readiness but also create employment opportunities in the domestic sector and strengthen MDL’s submarine construction capabilities.
DAC also approved the guidelines for increasing indigenous content in all capital acquisition cases to achieve self-reliance in critical manufacturing technologies and life-cycle support of defense platforms and equipment.
During the discussions between Prime Minister Modi and President Macron, the focus was on co-production and co-development of military hardware to support India’s self-reliance goals.
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