India to acquire 114 new Rafale fighter jets from France under MRFA program.

India and France are negotiating a possible acquisition of up to 114 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force, with 90 jets in the F4 standard and an option for 24 in the future F5 standard.

According to the Economic Times on January 10, 2026, India and France are finalizing negotiations for the possible acquisition of up to 114 Dassault Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force, with 90 jets in the F4 standard and an option for 24 in the future F5 standard. The discussions, which are taking place ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s scheduled February 2026 visit to India, include domestic manufacturing, engine work, and long-term sustainment infrastructure within India to address its declining fighter squadron strength.
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The push for additional Rafales is directly linked to the Indian Air Force’s current force structure, which stands at 29 fighter squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42. (Picture source: French Air Force)

While final numbers remain under discussion, the agreement seems to be tied directly to India’s Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) program, which seeks to procure 114 new 4.5-generation fighter jets for the Indian Air Force, to replace its aging MiG-21, MiG-27, Jaguar, and Mirage 2000 fleets. Under the current approach, the Indian Air Force made a formal proposal to acquire Rafale fighters through a direct government-to-government route rather than reopening a full multi-vendor competition. The acquisition is expected to proceed through clearance by the Defence Acquisition Council, followed by cost negotiations and final approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security, with corresponding allocations required in India’s annual defense budgets. A benchmark price is already available, following India’s April 2025 contract with France for 26 Rafale-M carrier-based fighters valued at $7.4 billion, indicating that the much larger air force package could reach several tens of billions of euros once all elements are included.

According to Indian media, a defining feature of the 114-aircraft proposal is the emphasis on domestic manufacturing as an integral part of the deal rather than a secondary offset. Tata Advanced Systems Limited has already signed agreements with Dassault Aviation to manufacture Rafale fuselage sections in India, supported by a dedicated production facility under construction in Hyderabad. The plant is designed to produce four major fuselage sections for Indian requirements as well as for global Rafale orders allocated by Dassault, linking Indian production directly to the wider Rafale supply chain. The facility is expected to begin delivering fuselage units by fiscal year 2028 and is planned with a capacity of up to 24 fuselages per year, a scale intended to support both domestic induction and long-term sustainment.

The industrial scope outlined for the Rafale program in India extends beyond airframe work to include propulsion and sustainment infrastructure. Current projects include plans for an engine production plant in Hyderabad and a maintenance, repair, and overhaul hub near Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, positioned to support both air force and naval Rafale fleets. When combined with fuselage manufacturing, these elements are described as capable of bringing up to 60% of Rafale manufacturing value into India by value, embedding high-value activity across the aircraft’s lifecycle. The broader political calendar is also relevant, as the proposed deal is expected to feature prominently during President Emmanuel Macron’s scheduled visit to India in February 2026 for the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, making India the only country besides France to operate both land-based and carrier-capable versions of the Rafale.

The push for additional Rafales is directly linked to the Indian Air Force’s current force structure, which stands at 29 fighter squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42. India already operates 36 Rafales acquired under the 2016 agreement, with these aircraft deployed at Ambala and Hasimara air bases, where existing infrastructure is assessed as capable of hosting at least one additional squadron each. Operational pressure increased after Rafales were employed during Operation Sindoor in May 2025, an episode followed by sharply diverging numerical loss claims from India and Pakistan. Indian authorities stated that no Indian aircraft were lost, asserting that all Rafale fighters involved in the strikes returned to base. Pakistani officials, by contrast, claimed that between two and three Indian aircraft were shot down during the exchanges, including at least one Rafale, a claim that India formally rejected. While frontline fighter jets such as the Rafale and Su-30MKI are considered fully capable by India in terms of sensors, weapons, and mission profiles, the reduced number of squadrons limits sustained availability across multiple theaters, as demonstrated by the Operation Sindoor.

The Dassault Rafale was launched by France in the late 1980s to replace several fighter jets then in service, including the Mirage F1, Jaguar, and Super Étendard, with a single multirole platform for the air force and navy. Unlike many contemporaries developed through multinational consortia, the Rafale was designed, funded, and produced under full national control, allowing France to avoid export restrictions and retain sovereignty over software, weapons integration, and upgrades. Technically, the Rafale can switch between air-to-air and air-to-ground missions within the same sortie, differentiating it from fighters that require dedicated variants or mission-specific configurations, which later became a decisive factor for export customers seeking flexibility without dependence on external approvals.

The F5 standard represents the next major evolution of the Rafale beyond the current F4 configuration, with an entry into service expected in the 2030s. Imagined to extend the Rafale's operational relevance well beyond 2040, the F5 standard is expected to introduce deeper integration of artificial intelligence-assisted decision support, improved connectivity with unmanned systems such as the Dassault nEUROn, and enhanced data processing to manage larger volumes of information in environments with dense jamming and long-range sensors. It is also intended to support future generations of air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons, while improving survivability through advances in electronic warfare and signature management. Rather than transforming the Rafale into a fifth-generation stealth aircraft, the F5 standard is structured as a capability bridge that allows the Rafale to operate effectively within mixed formations of manned and unmanned aircraft.

In its most modern operational configuration, the Rafale combines two Safran M88 turbofan engines with an advanced avionics suite centered on the RBE2 active electronically scanned array radar and the SPECTRA electronic warfare system. The aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight of about 24.5 tonnes, a maximum external payload of roughly 9.5 tonnes across 14 hardpoints, and is capable of carrying a wide range of air-to-air, air-to-ground, and anti-ship weapons. Its combat radius exceeds 1,800 kilometers, depending on mission profile, supported by internal fuel and external tanks, and it is designed for operations from both land bases and aircraft carriers in the naval variant. In its latest standards, the Rafale integrates sensor fusion across radar, infrared, electronic support measures, and data links, allowing pilots to manage complex engagements with reduced workload while operating in environments characterized by dense air defenses and electronic interference.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.