Defence ministry on India's mega plan to procure 114 Rafales: 'For first time, aircraft will ...'

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• India to procure 114 Rafale jets with up to 50% localisation
• First Rafale jets to be made outside France under Make in India
• 18 jets to arrive ready; rest to be built in India by Dassault

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Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Friday outlined details of India’s proposal to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets from France, saying that the aircraft would be manufactured with significant levels of localisation.

Speaking to ANI a day after the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared proposals worth Rs 3.6 lakh crore, Singh said that the Rafale aircraft will be manufactured outside France and could feature up to 50% localisation.

"For the first time, Rafale aircraft will be manufactured outside France with significant levels of localisation. We are seeking a minimum of 40 to 50% ... This (will be the) first 'Make in India,' Rafale outside France backed up by a government-to-government agreement ... no intermediaries, full transparency in the project itself, G2G significant levels of localisation," he said.

Singh added that India will have complete authority to integrate Indian weapons and systems into the jet.

"This will also enable us to induct the fighter aircraft relatively quickly because the first of the Rafale Marines will start coming in 2028, and after that, over a period of time, you will see that about three and a half years from now, the first of these Air Force Rafales will also start coming," he said.

The approval for procurement of the Rafale jets came just four days ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India.

Under the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) project, 18 aircraft will be supplied by Dassault Aviation, the maker of Rafale, in a fly away condition and the rest will be manufactured in India with over 50 per cent indigenous content that will be to be met in phases, PTI reported earlier quoting sources.

The Rafale purchase plan is expected to be taken up soon by the prime minister-led Cabinet Committee on Security. There is a possibility of India and France inking an inter-governmental pact on the project during Macron's trip.

However, a formal contract on the deal is unlikely before end of the year as the defence ministry will now have to carry out negotiations with Dassault Aviation to finalise the cost and the finer details of the weapons package.

The Rafale jets are capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

In April 2019, the Indian Air Force issued an RFI (Request for Information), or initial tender to acquire 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) at a cost of around USD 18 billion.

It was billed as one of the world's biggest military procurement programmes in recent years.