India-France Defence Cooperation
Rafale and Beyond
India-France defence cooperation is one of the pillars of the strategic partnership. The landmark Rafale fighter jet deal — an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for 36 Rafale aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) — was signed on 25 January 2016 at a cost of approximately EUR 7.87 billion. More recently, on 28 April 2025, India and France signed an IGA for 26 Rafale-Marine (Rafale-M) fighter jets for the Indian Navy, worth approximately Rs 63,000 crore (approximately USD 7.5 billion). This makes the Rafale the backbone of both IAF's and the Indian Navy's future combat aviation capability.
- Rafale IAF deal: 36 aircraft (IGA signed 25 January 2016); inducted from September 2019; based at Ambala (17 Sqn "Golden Arrows") and Hashimara (101 Sqn "Falcons of Chamb")
- Rafale-M Navy deal: 26 aircraft (22 single-seater, 4 twin-seater); IGA signed 28 April 2025; CCS approval 9 April 2025; deliveries 2028-2030
- Scorpene submarines: 6 Kalvari-class submarines built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) under technology transfer from Naval Group (formerly DCNS); Project 75
- Joint exercises: Varuna (Navy), Garuda (Air Force), Shakti (Army)
- Defence procurement framework: Government-to-Government (G2G) route via IGA bypasses the standard DAP (Defence Acquisition Procedure) for strategic urgency
● Tracked since February 11, 2026 · last seen June 14, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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