Ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Delhi, preparations for a mega-deal on Rafale fighter jet have started in India and France. The Defense Ministry on Thursday (February 12, 2026) has approved the production of 114 Make in India Rafale fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force.
The total value of this deal for French fighter planes to be made in India is said to be around Rs 3.25 lakh crore, which could be one of the biggest defense deals in the world so far.
chaired by the Defense Minister DAC meeting of
An important meeting of the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) was held on Thursday (February 12, 2026) under the leadership of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. Defense Secretary along with CDS General Anil Chauhan and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amarpreet Singh were also present in this meeting, where this deal was approved by DAC.
DAC What is the further process after approval from?
Last month, the Defense Procurement Board of the Defense Ministry had given the green signal to this proposal of the Air Force, which is the first step in any defense deal. After DAC, this project (proposal) will go to the Finance Ministry and the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by the Prime Minister. In such a situation, it is very possible that out of these 114 Rafale fighter jets, 16 can be purchased directly from France. With these 114 Rafale fighter jets, 5-6 squadrons of the Air Force can be raised. There are 18-20 fighter aircraft in a squadron of the Indian Air Force.
Announcement may be made during Macron’s visit to India
It is believed that an important announcement regarding this deal may be made during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India next week (17-19 February). Like the previous two Rafale fighter jet deals, this too is going to be a G2G i.e. government-to-government deal.
In the year 2016, India had decided to buy 36 Rafale fighter aircraft directly from France, its total cost was about Rs 59 thousand crores. In April last year, India had signed an agreement to purchase the marine version of Rafale fighter planes i.e. Rafale (M) for the Navy. These Rafale (M) fighter planes will be deployed on the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
Make in India Rafale fighter jet will be equipped with indigenous weapons
In view of the decreasing squadron, the Indian Air Force had submitted a proposal to the Defense Ministry to manufacture 114 Rafale fighter jets in the country. Like the previous Rafale deal, this deal will also be a G2G i.e. Government-to-Government agreement. After the agreement, the French company Dassault (Dassault), which manufactures Rafale, will set up a manufacturing plant in the country (in India) with an indigenous company. The indigenous Rafale fighter jet to be manufactured in India will have about 60 percent indigenous weapons and equipment.
Rafale fighter jet is the hero of Operation Sindoor: Vice Chief
In view of the operational capabilities of the existing Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force against Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, it was decided to manufacture French fighter aircraft under Make in India. Air Force Vice Chief Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) had described Rafale as the hero of Operation Sindoor. The Vice Chief had expressed hope about more Rafale in the Air Force.
To avenge the Pahalgam massacre, during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force used Rafale fighter jet to destroy the headquarters of terrorist organizations Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed operating from Pakistan.
After approval of Rafale MRFA What will be the impact on the project??
The 36 Rafale fighter jets currently used by the Indian Air Force have been equipped with Meteor, Mica and Scalp missiles. These are all French missiles, but the Make in India Rafale fighter jet can also be equipped with missiles made in India.
If this 114 Rafale project is approved by the government, then the old MRFA i.e. Medium Weight Fighter Jet project of the Air Force will be put on hold. In the MRFA project also, 114 fighter jets were to be made in India, but different foreign aviation companies could participate in the tender process (including Dassault). At the same time, the current deal will be directly between the governments of India and France.
It is noteworthy that in the month of April this year itself, India had signed a deal with France for 26 marine versions of Rafale for the Navy, the price of which was about Rs 63 thousand crores. These Rafale (M) aircraft are being purchased to be deployed on the Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
Purchase of Scalp missile also approved
The DAC on Thursday (February 12, 2026) also approved the purchase of 400 Scalp missiles for the Rafale fighter jet. This is the same Scalp missile, with which the Indian Air Force destroyed the headquarters of terrorist organizations Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba operating from Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. MBDA company of Europe produces these Scalp missiles.
This is a deep strike (air-to-ground) cruise missile weighing about 1,300 kg, which is launched from Rafale.
Shudo-satellite also given green signal for Air Force
Apart from this, DAC also approved Air-ship Based High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (AS-HAPS) worth Rs 15 thousand crore for the Air Force. These are, in fact, pilot-less aircraft (UAVs) flying at very high altitudes, which keep an eye on the battlefield from the sky.
