Indian Navy Signs ₹63,000 Cr Deal for 26 Rafale-M Fighters

Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) signed remotely with France for 22 single-seat plus 4 twin-seat Rafale-Marine jets (first international operator of the naval variant). Signed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and French Minister for Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu. Exchange of documents at Nausena Bhawan in presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Navy Vice-Chief Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, and French Ambassador. This includes training, simulators, weapons (with Transfer of Technology for indigenous integration, e.g., Astra BVR missile), 5-year Performance-Based Logistics, fuselage production, and MRO facilities in India (expected to create MSME jobs). High commonality with IAF Rafale fleet for joint ops on INS Vikrant/Vikramaditya. The delivery is expected from mid-2028 to 2030.