India buys warplanes amid tensions with Pakistan
New Delhi will get 22 single-seater jets and four twin-seater trainers as part of the $7.4 billion deal with France
India and France have signed a $7.41 billion deal for 26 Rafale fighter jets, officials announced on Monday. The agreement, which comes amid heightened tensions between India and neighboring Pakistan, was cleared earlier this month by New Delhi’s Cabinet Committee on Security.
The deal includes the acquisition of 22 single-seater jets and four twin-seater trainers, with deliveries scheduled to be completed by 2031, officials said.
The agreement also involves fleet maintenance, logistical support, and personnel training, as well as the domestic production of components as part of offset obligations, aligning with the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Make-in-India) initiative envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Rafale aircraft, manufactured by French company Dassault Aviation, are being imported on a temporary basis to fulfill the navy’s immediate needs, serving as a stopgap solution until India can develop and deploy its own domestically-produced twin-engine deck-based fighter jet, reports said.
#WATCH | Delhi | The Intergovernmental agreement was exchanged between the two sides in the presence of Defence Secretary RK Singh and Navy Vice Chief Vice Admiral K Swaminathan.
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2025
(Source: Indian Navy) https://t.co/6Z4UhJ4ypY pic.twitter.com/R3Z0o9RAuA
On Sunday, the Indian Navy conducted a live-fire exercise in the Arabian Sea amid tensions with Pakistan, which have worsened since a terrorist attack in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on April 22 left 26 dead.
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According to India’s NDTV, the drills featured several destroyers and frigates which fired BrahMos anti-ship and anti-surface cruise missiles. Last week, the Indian Navy posted a short video of the moment its “latest indigenous guided missile destroyer INS Surat” successfully engaged a sea-skimming target.
The Indian Navy’s latest additions will be integrated onto the aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, enhancing the South Asian country’s maritime capabilities and strengthening its ability to address potential threats in the Indian Ocean region, officials said.
In March, India approved its largest defense deal to date, valued at over 620 billion rupees ($7.3 billion), for the procurement of 156 Light Combat Helicopters (LCH), along with associated training and equipment, in a significant move authorized by the Cabinet Committee on Security.