Rafale fighters: The Government on Saturday informed India has selected 26 Rafale fighters to equip Navy with advanced combat jets. According to Dassault Aviation, a French aerospace company, the 26 Rafale fighers in the Navy will be added to 36 advanced fighters that are already in service.

Indian Navy

“This selection confirms the excellence of the Rafale, the exceptional quality of the link between Dassault Aviation and the Indian Forces, and the importance of the strategic relationship between India and France,” Dassault Aviation said.

“This decision comes after a successful trial campaign held in India, during which the Navy Rafale demonstrated that it fully met the Indian Navy’s operational requirements and was perfectly suited to the specificities of its aircraft carrier,” it added.

India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft for the Indian Navy on Thursday.

DAC, which held a meeting here on Thursday, also granted the AoN for the procurement of three additional Scorpene submarines under Buy (Indian) category, which will be constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL).

A Defence Ministry release informed that the acceptance of Necessity for Rafale Marine aircraft has been approved along with associated ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and logistic support for the Indian Navy from the French Government, based on Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA).

The release said the DAC also approved the proposal to lay down guidelines for achieving the desired indigenous content in all categories of capital acquisition cases.

“It will help in achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in critical manufacturing technologies and life-cycle sustenance of defence platforms and equipment through indigenous manufacturing,” the release said.