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India has formally issued a Letter of Request (LoR) to France for the acquisition of 114 Rafale fighter aircraft, setting in motion negotiations for what could become one of the largest defence procurement programmes in the country’s history, valued at an estimated Rs 3.25 lakh crore.
The development coincides with Air Chief Marshal AP Singh’s four-day visit to France, where he is expected to hold discussions with senior French military officials and defence industry leaders, including executives from Dassault Aviation and missile manufacturer MBDA.
The Indian Air Force Chief arrived in France on Monday and is scheduled to return on June 5. His visit comes at a crucial stage as New Delhi prepares to move the proposed fighter acquisition into formal negotiations through the government-to-government (G2G) route.
According to defence sources, the LoR has now been sent to the French government, outlining India’s operational requirements, weapons package, industrial participation and long-term support needs. France is expected to provide a formal response in the coming months, after which the programme will move into detailed contract negotiations.
“The Letter of Request has been sent, and the process is now moving into the next phase. Once the French response is received, the Contract Negotiation Committee will take up the commercial and contractual aspects of the acquisition,” a defence source said.
The fighter programme is expected to figure prominently during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected visit to France later this month, with defence cooperation remaining a central pillar of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Sources indicated that India has made it clear that integration of indigenous weapons on the Rafale platform will be a critical element of the negotiations.
Officials stressed that India is not seeking access to the Rafale’s source code, something that original equipment manufacturers typically do not share for frontline combat aircraft.
Instead, New Delhi is expected to seek the necessary Interface Control Documents and technical arrangements to enable future integration and certification of indigenous weapon systems, including the Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, the proposed BrahMos-NG, and other domestically developed munitions.
The proposed acquisition is aimed at arresting the steady decline in the Indian Air Force’s fighter squadron strength, which remains well below the sanctioned level of 42 squadrons.
The Rafale, a 4.5-generation multirole fighter, is already in service with the IAF, with 36 aircraft currently deployed at Ambala and Hashimara. The new procurement would significantly expand the fleet while providing commonality in training, maintenance and weapons support.
The package under consideration comprises 88 single-seat and 26 twin-seat aircraft.
Sources said 18 fighters are likely to be delivered in fly-away condition, while the remaining aircraft would be manufactured in India under a production arrangement designed to progressively increase indigenous content to between 40 and 50 per cent over the life of the programme.
The project is also expected to provide a major boost to India’s aerospace manufacturing sector.
Dassault Aviation already operates an industrial partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), which produces aerostructures and components for the Rafale programme. The two companies recently announced plans to manufacture Rafale fuselage sections in India, a move seen as laying the groundwork for deeper industrial participation under the proposed fighter deal.
Defence officials believe the programme could help expand India’s aerospace supply chain and create a long-term manufacturing ecosystem around advanced combat aircraft production.
French authorities are expected to respond to India’s request within the next two to three months. Detailed negotiations under the Contract Negotiation Committee framework would then commence, covering pricing, technology transfer, production arrangements, weapons integration and lifecycle support.
If the process proceeds as planned, officials expect the agreement to be finalised sometime next year, with the first aircraft deliveries beginning around 2030.
The contract is also expected to include provisions for future upgrades. The IAF’s existing Rafale fleet currently operates in the F3 configuration and is scheduled to transition to the more advanced F4 standard. The new aircraft are expected to be configured to accommodate eventual upgrades to the future F5 standard when it enters service.
For India, the proposed acquisition represents not only a major capability enhancement for the Air Force but also a test case for combining large-scale foreign procurement with domestic manufacturing and indigenous weapons integration. As negotiations begin, both sides will seek to balance operational requirements, industrial ambitions and long-term strategic cooperation.
Ravi Shankar
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
