The Union government’s Defence Acquisition Council on Thursday approved proposals to buy several military equipment, including additional Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force.
The council, which reports to the defence ministry and is headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, granted the acceptance of necessity for proposals worth Rs 3.6 lakh crore. The proposals included the purchase of combat missiles and an airship-based high-altitude pseudo-satellite.
The majority of the Rafale aircraft being ordered will be manufactured in India, the ministry said.
Procuring more Rafales will “enhance the capability of undertaking air dominance roles” and boost the Air Force’s deterrence capabilities, “with long-range offensive strikes”, it added.
While the defence ministry did not state the number of Rafales being purchased, news reports widely said it would be 114, with 90 being manufactured in India. Some of the remaining jets are likely to be acquired in fly-away condition to meet the Air Force’s immediate operational needs.
The withdrawal of the last two MiG-21 squadrons in September had dropped the Air Force’s combat squadron strength to 29, against the 42 sanctioned in 2012. A fighting squadron typically has 16 to 18 jets.
The fresh purchase of the Rafale aircraft was cleared days ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Delhi between February 17 and February 19. The Rafales are manufactured by the French firm Dassault Aviation.
The Air Force already operates the Rafales. The deal to procure 36 of them was signed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government in 2016 at a cost of Rs 58,000 crore.
The Congress had accused the Narendra Modi government of corruption. The Centre has denied the allegations.
The Opposition party had also alleged at the time that the Modi government had helped a defence firm owned by industrialist Anil Ambani land a major contract under the deal even though it had no experience in the sector. Ambani has denied the allegations.
Also read: MiG-21 retirement a reminder about slacking defence procurement
On Thursday, the defence ministry said that the combat missiles being procured are meant to enhance the Air Force’s stand-off ground attack capability “with deep strike power and very high accuracy”.
The air-ship based high-altitude pseudo satellite, the ministry said, will be used by the military for surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic intelligence, communications and remote sensing.
For the Indian Navy, the council cleared the acquisition of additional Boeing P-8I Poseidon aircraft, which are meant for long-range maritime reconnaissance. The acquisition will also boost the Navy’s long-range anti-submarine warfare and maritime strike capability, the ministry said.
The purchase of six P8I aircraft had been cleared, The Indian Express reported. The Indian Navy already operates 12 P-8Is.
For the Indian Army, the council approved the procurement of anti-tank mines named Vibhav, and overhaul of armoured recovery vehicles, T-72 tanks and infantry combat vehicles to increase their service life.
The proposals cleared by the council are required to get a final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security, which is headed by the prime minister.
In April, India had signed a deal with France to buy 26 Rafale Marine fighter aircraft for the Indian Navy at a cost of about Rs 64,000 crore. The Rafale Marine is an aircraft carrier-borne fighter jet.
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