It’s a Go: Ministry clears purchase of 114 Rafales, SCALP missiles & more

New Delhi: The defence ministry has approved the acquisition of 114 additional Rafale fighter jets, most of which will be manufactured in India, besides several other major purchases valued at a total of Rs 3.6 lakh crore. In a boost to the air force’s long-range strike abilities, the ministry has also cleared a plan to acquire a large number of SCALP ground attack missiles. These had been used to devastating effect during Operation Sindoor against Pakistani airbases and defence installations.

In an agenda-packed meeting, the Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) also cleared the purchase of six additional P8I maritime aircraft from Boeing. It gave the air force a green light to procure indigenously designed and developed Air-Ship based High Altitude Pseudo Satellites. The panel led by defence minister Singh accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for proposed purchases.

“The procurement of Multi Role Fighter Aircraft (Rafale) will enhance the capability of undertaking air dominance roles across the spectrum of conflict and significantly boost the deterrence capabilities of IAF with long range offensive strikes,” said an official, adding that the majority will be made in India.


The clearance comes days before the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India, though the final stage of contract signing is expected to take several months as technical aspects and commercial terms will need to be negotiated.

The aircraft will be manufactured in India by Dassault, which has roped in several domestic manufacturers, including Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) to make critical parts and sub systems. The aircraft will help plug capability gaps in the air force, which has been struggling with declining squadron strength.

Plugging capability gaps

However, the final stage of contract signing is expected to take several months, as technical aspects and commercial terms will need to be negotiated.

The aircraft will be manufactured in India by Dassault, which has roped in several domestic manufacturers, including Tata Advanced Systems, to make critical parts and sub-systems.

The aircraft will help plug capability gaps in the air force, which has been struggling with declining squadron strength, with legacy Soviet-origin fighters having been retired from service and indigenous replacements missing several delivery deadlines.

As reported by ET, the proposal to acquire 114 additional Rafales – the air force already has 36 and 26 have been ordered by the Indian Navy – gained steam in the run-up to the free trade agreement with the European Union and the planned visit by Macron. In March, India is expected to sign a $10-billion deal for submarines that will involve technology sharing by Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.

The acquisition of six additional P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft will be through a government-to-government deal with the US, adding to the navy’s ability to patrol the Indian Ocean Region. “The acquisition of P8I aircraft will significantly boost the navy’s combat and war-fighting capability of long-range anti-submarine warfare, maritime surveillance and strike capability,” an official said.

For the Indian Army, approval was given for the procurement of anti-tank mines (Vibhav) and overhaul of vehicle platforms of armoured recovery vehicles (ARVs), T-72 tanks and infantry combat vehicles (BMP-II).

SCALP is a French acronym for long-range autonomous cruise missile system–general purpose.