French Rafale-M jets, Scorpene Submarines on India’s Shopping Cart to be Purchased Soon

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to seal the deal for 26 Rafale-Marine jets and three Scorpene-class submarines when he visits Paris to be the guest of honour at the Bastille Day parade.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved proposals for the purchases, the defence ministry confirmed in a statement, but it added the price and other terms still had to be negotiated with the French government.

The twin-engine Rafale-M is intended for India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, the 45,000 tonne INS Vikrant, which was commissioned last year.

This French jet edged out U.S. F/A-18 Super Hornet in a direct contest to equip the Navy with deck-based fighters. Rafale and F-18 are both fit for aircraft carriers equipped with CATOBARs system. Indian Navy’s INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya are STOBAR aircraft carriers.

The chosen jet will replace the country’s old 43-strong MiG-29K fleet.

India was already purchasing six Scorpene submarines and the statement said the three additional vessels would be built “with higher indigenous content” by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders near Mumbai.

The Rafale M can carry up to 9.5 tonnes of weapons, fuel tanks and pods on 13 external hardpoints, and is capable of low-level, high-speed penetrations to evade enemy radar. The aircraft’s configuration of the payload, including weapons and fuel tanks, depends on the range of carrier-launched strike raids and factors in that a pilot landing back on the carrier in bad weather or at the end of a demanding mission may need more fuel.

Several refinements help the pilot trap (arrested landing of the aircraft) on board a carrier in safety, including a dedicated approach symbology in head-up display and a power management system.

The Rafale M fighters are being imported as an interim measure to meet the navy’s requirements until India develops its own twin-engine deck-based fighter (TEDBF). The first prototype of TEDBF could make its maiden flight by 2026 and be ready for production by 2031.