New Delhi: Just days ahead of the visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, the government’s apex defence procurement Committee, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh gave approval to a massive buy worth more than Rs 3.6 lakh crore including another 114 Rafale fighter aircraft of which 90 are to be made in India.
In keeping with the government’s focus on strengthening the defence sector, the government besides the 114 Rafale Multi Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) for the Indian Air Force, also cleared acquisition of six P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft, four MW Marine Gas Turbine-based Electric Power Generators, and Air-Ship Based High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (AS-HAPS). Other items being cleared include those for the Army—an arsenal of missiles, anti-tank mines (Vibhav), allotment for overhaul of vehicle platforms of Armoured Recovery Vehicles (ARVs), T-72 Tanks and Infantry Combat Vehicles (BMP-II).
In technical terms, the stage of the proposals put forward by the services is called the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) stage. These proposals will now be placed before the PM-headed Union Cabinet. Formal negotiations with the sellers will begin after the Cabinet’s go-ahead.
A defence ministry press release added, “The majority of MRFA to be procured will be manufactured in India. The combat missiles will enhance the stand-off ground attack capability with deep strike power and very high accuracy. The AS-HAPS will be utilised towards carrying out persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic intelligence, telecommunication and remote sensing for military purposes.”
The 114 fighters mean an additional six-seven fighter squadrons for the Indian Air Force (IAF), but even that is not enough to adequately equip the Indian Air Force (IAF) as per the required mandate. Needing to field at least 42 squadrons, the IAF has only about 30 squadrons—the lowest it has operated in decades. The IAF already operates two Rafale squadrons, which proved its mettle during Operation Sindoor. These two squadrons are based in Ambala and Hashimara.
The Indian Navy has already ordered 26 additional Rafale-M (marine) variants, with the first delivery expected by 2030.
The Indian Navy already operates 12 P8I aircraft. The versatile maritime surveillance aircraft P8I is deployed for an entire range of operations, from specific counter-insurgency operations to being deployed to keep an eye on the adversary in the oceans. Having clocked much more than 40,000 mishap-free flight hours, the dozen-odd P-8I’s in the Indian Navy have completed more than a decade of deployment with the Indian Navy.
Besides the clearance of big ticket purchase cleared by DAC, the day also saw the Defence Ministry inking a major deal with state owned defence public undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) worth about Rs 2,312 crore which includes operational role equipment for the Indian Coast Guard. This includes eight Dornier 228 aircraft from HAL and Operational Role Equipment for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
The Defence Ministry statement said that a contract has been signed with Kanpur based Transport Aircraft Division of HAL under the Buy (Indian) category in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. This is the second major deal that the government has signed with HAL in this financial year.
The defence ministry said the programme is expected to generate significant direct and indirect employment by strengthening HAL’s production ecosystem and supporting a wide network of micro, small and medium enterprises and ancillary industries. It will also create sustained opportunities in maintenance, repair and overhaul activities, as well as lifecycle technical support. The contract reinforces the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives, which aim to reduce dependence on defence imports while building indigenous manufacturing capabilities, the ministry said. It added that the acquisition will also bolster India’s maritime security architecture, particularly in surveillance and coastal operations.
This is part of the capacity building exercise by the Indian Coast Guard which aims to increase its fleet of air assets from existing 80, which includes aircrafts and choppers, to 100 by 2030. The Defence Ministry statement noted that the programme is expected to generate significant direct and indirect employment by strengthening HAL’s production ecosystem and supporting a broad network of MSMEs and ancillary industries.
“It will also create sustained opportunities in Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul and life cycle technical support,” it added. “The contract reinforces the Government’s commitment to Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make-in-India while bolstering India’s maritime security architecture,” the statement noted.
