Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh says price negotiations for 114 Rafale fighters are underway, stresses need to strengthen squadron numbers and accelerate indigenous aircraft development.
New Delhi, Oct 2026 : India could finalise its long-awaited Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) deal for 114 Rafale fighter jets by the end of the current financial year, provided negotiations and other formalities proceed as planned, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh said on Saturday.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of Air Force Day, Singh said price negotiations and other critical issues concerning the proposed acquisition, estimated at around Rs 3.25 lakh crore, were currently under discussion.
India cleared the proposal in February to procure 114 Rafale aircraft from France in one of its largest-ever defence acquisition initiatives. The proposed agreement is being pursued under a government-to-government framework, nearly two decades after the programme was initially conceived to strengthen the Indian Air Force's combat capabilities.
Once concluded, the acquisition would significantly expand India's Rafale fleet. The Indian Air Force currently operates 36 Rafale fighters, while the Indian Navy has ordered 26 Rafale-M aircraft for deployment aboard its aircraft carriers. The addition of 114 more jets would take the country's total Rafale inventory to 176 aircraft.
Singh also indicated that the Indian Air Force could consider alternative platforms if the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), India's indigenous fifth-generation fighter programme, encounters delays.
"Russia has offered us Su-57 jets, but no decision has been made on it," he said, referring to the Russian fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
Addressing concerns over the declining number of operational fighter squadrons, the Air Chief said the force would require an annual induction of at least 36 to 40 aircraft over the next few years to strengthen its combat capacity.
He emphasised that increasing air power remained essential to India's overall military preparedness, particularly amid evolving security challenges.
On modernisation, Singh called for the development of an artificial intelligence-augmented force, while underlining that self-reliance was central to long-term operational readiness.
He also stressed the need for India to develop and manufacture its own fighter aircraft engine, identifying indigenous engine technology as a critical requirement for future aerospace programmes.
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said in September that the proposed Rafale agreement could support the establishment of a second fighter aircraft production line in India and encourage greater indigenisation of defence manufacturing.
The Air Chief said the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mark 1A programme would continue alongside the Rafale acquisition. He described it as a process of continuous development, involving improvements in indigenous radar systems, weapons and other technologies to strengthen India's domestic aerospace capabilities.
