The defence ministry has begun examining a proposal from the Indian Air Force (IAF) to procure 114 “Made in India” Rafale fighter jets in collaboration with French manufacturer Dassault Aviation and Indian aerospace firms.Estimated to be worth over Rs 2 lakh crore, with more than 60 percent indigenous content, the mega deal is expected to be taken up by the Defence Procurement Board, headed by the Defence Secretary, in the coming weeks, officials told ANI.

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Once cleared, the proposal will move to the Defence Acquisition Council for final approval.The new acquisition would take the number of Rafales in India’s arsenal to 176, adding to the 36 already inducted by the IAF and 36 ordered for the Indian Navy under separate government-to-government agreements.Officials noted that the move follows the Rafale’s strong performance during Operation Sindoor, where the aircraft reportedly outclassed Chinese PL-15 air-to-air missiles using its advanced Spectra electronic warfare suite. The Indian-built jets are expected to feature longer-range air-to-ground missiles than the Scalp used in Pakistan strikes.Dassault plans to establish a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility for Rafale’s M-88 engines in Hyderabad, complementing an existing maintenance firm in India. Indian partners such as Tata are likely to be involved in the production.The IAF sees the deal as crucial to bolstering its force structure alongside Su-30 MKIs, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark 1A, of which 180 have already been ordered, and the indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet planned for induction beyond 2035.