India to sign Rs 63,000-crore deal for 26 Rafale Marine Aircraft

Mangalore Today News Network/NDTV

New Delhi, April 9, 2025: India will buy 26 Rafale fighter jets - the marine variants - for the Navy in a government-to-government deal worth more than Rs 63,000 crore, sources said on Tuesday afternoon.

The deal is likely to be signed later this month, when French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu visits India, sources said.

The jets - 22 single-seater and four twin-seater variants - will be deployed primarily on board indigenously-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, as India looks to strengthen maritime strike capabilities, given the need to keep a watch on Chinese activities in the Indian Ocean region.

"The Navy is tweaking its strategy to "negate" any infringement in its area of operations and is "ready to tackle threats from all neighbours", Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi had said.