India Officially Orders 26 Rafale Marine Carrier-Based Fighters
The Indian government announced Monday that it had officially signed a contract with the French government for the purchase of 26 Rafale Marine carrier-based multirole aircraft.
22 single-seat Rafale Ms and four twin-seat Rafale Ms will be delivered by 2030 under the 630 billion rupee ($7.4 billion) government-to-government deal, with the package also including training, logistical support, weapons, and additional equipment for the Indian Air Force’s land-based Rafales.
The government-to-government contract was finalized with an exchange of documents signed by Indian defense minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu in New Delhi, with Indian defense secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Dassault Aviation chief executive officer Eric Trappier in attendance at the ceremony.
According to New Delhi, the contract also includes the creation of a production facility in India for Rafale fuselage sections, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities for Rafale engines, sensors, and weapons.
The Rafale Ms will eventually replace the MiG-29K fighter aircraft currently used by the INS Vikrant’s air wing. The Indian government had approved the purchase of Rafale Ms in 2023, with the government’s security cabinet approving the final contract earlier in April 2025.
Dassault Aviation said the contract was proof of its commitment “to make its presence in India a success in the service of Indian interests”, noting the “significant contribution” to the ‘Make in India’ policy and the ‘Skill India’ initiative due to the local assembly and technology transfer under the deal. Trappier added:
“On behalf of Dassault Aviation and its partners, I would like to thank the Indian authorities, with whom we have been working for more than 70 years, for their confidence in us and reaffirm our unwavering determination to stand by their side to contribute to India’s expression of its sovereign power, its strategic challenges and its ambitious vision of the future.”