Indian Navy may soon get 26 Rafale-M fighter jets and three Scorpene submarines

The Indian Navy may soon get 26 Rafale-M fighter jets. To further enhance the naval strength, India may sign an agreement with France in the next few weeks for the purchase of 26 Rafale fighter jets of the naval version and three Scorpene submarines.

PM Modi to visit France

However, it is not clear at the moment whether the announcement regarding the purchase of Rafale-M and Scorpene will be made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Paris. Modi will visit Paris on February 10-11 to attend a two-day summit on artificial intelligence (AI). Apart from the summit, he is likely to hold bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The purchase was approved in July 2023

People familiar with the matter said that both the agreements are in the final stages and the Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs (CCS) will have to consider them. In July 2023, the Defence Ministry approved the procurement of 22 Rafale (M) jets from France, primarily for deployment on the indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The ministry had also approved the procurement of three Scorpene submarines from France.

6 Scorpene submarines to be built

Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) has already built six Scorpene submarines in India in collaboration with the French Naval Group under the Indian Navy's Project-75. The procurement of the Rafale-M jets as well as related support equipment including weapon systems and spares will be based on an inter-governmental agreement (IGA). The Indian Air Force had procured 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition from France. The IAF believes that it should procure at least two more fleets of Rafale jets.

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