NEW DELHI — India has cleared a proposal to buy 114 Rafale multirole fighter jets from France to bolster its air force in its largest-ever military hardware procurement.

The push to acquire the jets comes amid a critical shortfall in the combat capability of the Indian Air Force at a time when the country has witnessed heightened tensions with Pakistan and China.

The Rafales were the biggest and most high profile acquisition to be cleared among nearly $40 billion worth of hardware that India plans to buy to modernize its military.

The go-ahead by the Defence Acquisition Council headed by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Jan.12 comes days before French President Emmanuel Macron visits New Delhi and paves the way for commercial and technical details to be finalized.

At a time when the geopolitical order is witnessing a significant churn, the Rafale deal will cement a strategic partnership between New Delhi and Paris once it is sealed.

RELATED

The push to acquire the French jets comes amid offers from the United States for its F-35 fighters and Russia for the Su-57E aircraft.

“I think that in some ways the choice of the Rafales is a reflection of India’s foreign policy and strategic priorities as well. It underscores India’s decision to strengthen its strategic autonomy and move away from the Russia-U.S.-Israel binary,” according to Harsh Pant, the vice president of studies at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. “If you look at the air force five or six years down the line, it would have a strong French component.”

While Russia has traditionally been India’s largest weapons supplier, in recent decades New Delhi has diversified imports by buying hardware from France, the United States and Israel.

India presently operates 36 Rafales which were inducted into the air force from 2020 onwards and have since been deployed to strategic air bases near the borders with Pakistan and China.

“The procurement of MRFA (Multi role fighter aircraft) will enhance the capability of undertaking air dominance roles across the spectrum of conflict and significantly boost the deterrence capabilities of IAF (Indian Air Force) with long range offensive strikes,” the Indian Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The Indian Air Force has been grappling with declining fighter jet numbers amid delays in programs to manufacture indigenous aircraft. While it has a sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons, each equipped with 16 to 18 fighters, it operates only about 30 squadrons — the lowest since the 1960s.

Analysts point out that the Rafales will help bridge the shortfall, which comes at a time when rapid advancements in Chinese military capabilities and deepening China-Pakistan ties pose a challenge to India.

RELATED

“Capability-wise the air force now has come far ahead in terms of precision, mobility, high altitude, all weather operations et cetera, but capacity is something we urgently need to build on,” said retired Air Marshal Anil Khosla, a former vice chief of the Indian Air Force.

“Definitely the squadron strength needs to be upwards of 42 to 45 because your capacity to fight depends on how many threats you face, and in our case, China is marching way ahead both in capacity, capability as well as a new generation of fighter aircrafts,” he added. “And it is pulling Pakistan along with it because of the collusive nature of their engagement. That is why it is a priority for India to portray strength.”

Besides the proposal to procure the 114 jets, India last year also contracted to buy 26 Rafale-Marine jets for its aircraft carriers. Together, these could seal an important role for the French jets not just in the air force but also the maritime domain.

The Rafales have already been deployed in combat during a four-day conflict with Pakistan last May which India called Operation Sindoor. The fighters are believed to have launched SCALP air-launched cruise missiles, capable of striking targets over 500 kilometers away.

Pakistan’s claims that it downed several Indian fighter jets during the combat including Rafales have been disputed by India.

Indian officials have said the jets played a key role during the conflict.

“Rafale was definitely the hero during Operation Sindoor,” the vice chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, told reporters at a press briefing on Feb. 11th. He was referring to strikes by the Indian Air Force at targets in Pakistan during the conflict.

Defense experts say the choice of the Rafale jets reflects its strong performance.

“When the Rafale came in, the standoff and precision capability of the air force enhanced multifold, because it can take on various roles simultaneously. So it gave a lot of options for decision making,” said former Air Marshal Khosla.

“For example, you don’t have to cross the lines that presently demarcate the border with Pakistan or China. You can fire from far and shoot and engage the enemy. So these capabilities made Operation Sindoor simpler for the Indian Air Force to plan and execute” Khosla said.

The deal is being negotiated at a time when some of the legacy fighters of the air force such as the Russian MiG-21 were decommissioned recently and others such as the MiG-29 and the French Mirage 2000 are due to retire in the coming years.

“The majority of MRFA (Multi Role Fighter Aircraft) to be procured will be manufactured in India,” the Defense Ministry statement said.

Although the statement did not specify numbers, Indian officials have told the media that 18 aircraft would be delivered in fly-away condition, and the remaining jets would be manufactured in India as part of its ‘Make in India’ program – a push to increase domestic manufacturing of aircraft jets and weapons.

The production in India is also expected to involve technology transfer and integration of Indian weapons and systems into the aircraft.

Besides the Rafales, India has also cleared procurement of six additional P8I maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from the U.S. for the Navy.

But the potential Rafale deal will underscore France as a dominant defense partner for New Delhi, say analysts.

“India sees a kindred spirit in France because France also has always talked about retaining strategic autonomy and decision making, despite being part of the West,” according to analyst Pant. “So in that sense, there is a comfort level with the larger worldview of France that aligns closely with India.”