India formally requests 114 additional Rafale fighters from France
India has sent an official letter of request to France for the purchase of 114 additional Dassault Rafale fighter jets, a deal valued at an estimated 33 billion euros. The request follows the Indian Air Force's recommendation after the Rafale's performance in Operation Sindoor, launched in May 2025 against terrorist networks in Pakistan. New Delhi now awaits France's response within two to three months before entering detailed negotiations on price, technology transfer, and local production.
India has sent an official letter of request to France for the purchase of 114 additional Dassault Rafale fighter jets, a deal valued at an estimated 33 billion euros, according to senior officials cited by the ANI news agency.
The request follows the Indian Air Force's recommendation after the Rafale's performance in Operation Sindoor, launched in May 2025 against terrorist networks based in Pakistan. General Nagesh Kapoor, the number two of the Indian Air Force, said: "The Rafale has incontestably been the hero of Operation Sindoor." The recommendation came as the Indian Air Force recently retired its last MiG-21 'Bison' aircraft.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the potential order in February 2026 under an intergovernmental agreement framework. The Indian Defence Ministry said at the time that acquiring these Rafales "will strengthen the capability to assume air superiority roles across the full spectrum of conflict and will significantly increase the IAF's deterrence capabilities through long-range offensive strikes."
India demands that 94 of the 114 Rafales be assembled in India with at least 50% Indian components. New Delhi also seeks access to Interface Control Documents (ICD) to integrate its own weapons, such as the Brahmos NG cruise missile and the Astra long-range air-to-air missile. The 114 jets include 26 twin-seat variants.
France is expected to respond to the letter of request within two to three months. "Following this response, the two parties will begin detailed negotiations on price, technology transfer, local production, maintenance, infrastructure, armaments and industrial partnerships. Officials hope these discussions will be concluded within a year, paving the way for the official signing of the contract," the Indian Defence Research Wing website summarized.
If a deal is reached, India would eventually field 176 Rafales (150 for the IAF and 26 for the Indian Navy), with the Indian Navy seeking an additional 31 aircraft.
The request revives a procurement process that began in 2018 after India canceled the MMRCA program and acquired 36 Rafales from Dassault Aviation. That earlier competition had included Lockheed Martin (with the F-21, a variant of the F-16 Viper), Boeing (F-15EX Eagle II), Saab (Gripen E/F), the Eurofighter consortium (EF2000/Typhoon), and Russia's UAC (Su-35 and MiG-35).