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Navy's Rs 60,000 crore Rafale-M jet deal to help upgrade capabilities of IAF Rafales

ANI February 18, 2025 191 views

The Indian Navy is set to acquire 26 advanced Rafale Marine aircraft in a Rs 60,000 crore deal that will significantly upgrade its carrier-based combat capabilities. These jets will operate from INS Vikramaditya and provide enhanced operational flexibility for the Indian Air Force. The procurement includes innovative features like buddy-buddy refuelling and advanced software patches. This strategic acquisition represents a major leap in India's naval aviation and military technological preparedness.

"The deal will help in extending the range of aircraft in operations" - Defence Sources
New Delhi, February 18: The Rs 60,000 crore plus Rafale Marine jet deal with France is also going to help in upgrading the buddy-buddy refuelling and other capabilities of the 36 Rafale fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Key Points

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Navy acquiring 26 Rafale Marine jets for INS Vikramaditya

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Enables buddy-buddy refuelling for 10 aircraft

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Government-to-government deal with France

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Includes ground equipment and software upgrades

The Indian Navy is acquiring 26 Rafale Marine aircraft to enhance the capabilities of the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The acquisition was in the final stages of being cleared by the cabinet committee on security.

The Rafale Marine jet deal has included a lot of components of the Indian Air Force fleet, like the capability to have buddy-buddy refuelling, which will enable around 10 aircraft of the 36-plane fleet to refuel others in the air, defence sources told ANI.

The equipment for providing the capability in the IAF fleet will help in extending the range of the aircraft in operations, they said.

The deal will also see the Indian Air Force get a lot of ground-based equipment for supporting their operations along with patches for upgrading the software, they said.

The government-to-government deal will see the Navy getting 22 single-seater and four twin-seater Rafale Marine jets and will require a lot of equipment to be put on the carrier to enable the operations of the 4-5 plus generation Rafales from its deck.

The Navy currently operates the MiG-29Ks which are to be operated from the INS Vikramaditya only in the near future.

The Indian Navy is also looking to acquire the indigenous fifth-generation aircraft which will be developed in the next few years by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

The twin-engine deck-based fighter aircraft is likely to be the counterpart of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft being developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency for the Indian Air Force.

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