French and international media need to relax; the contract is at least a year away.
MMRCA 2.0 - Updates and Discussions
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People overestimate the GDP numbers.
Even in PPP terms Chinas GDP may be just 2.5x more but in terms of Govt Spending it would still be 5x as their percent of Govt Spending to GDP is twice ours.
India asks Dassault to submit bid for 114 Rafale fighter jets by April-end
Analysis of IAF proposal shows that the true Make in India component is much lesser than expected, therefore negotiations will focus on increasing that component.
theprint.in
Last month, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, approved the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) plan to procure 114 Rafale fighters. The project is valued at a minimum of Rs 2.5 lakh crore, the price projected by the IAF as part of the Acceptance of Necessity (AON) granted to it.
Sources in the defence and security establishment said Dassault Aviation has been asked to submit its bid detailing various aspects of the deal including the Make in India component and the cost.
An analysis of the IAF proposal, sources said, shows that the true Make in India component is much lesser than expected, therefore negotiations will focus on increasing that component.
French President Emmanuel Macron, while interacting with the media during his visit to India last week, had made it clear that the French will do whatever is necessary to meet Indian requirements.
The Indian side is looking for at least 50-60 percent indigenous content in the Rafale fighters.
The whole process is likely to be completed by the end of this financial year and a contract should be signed by the end of the next fiscal year (March 2027).
If the deal is signed in early 2027, delivery of the first 18 aircraft in fly-away condition will start from 2030 onwards.
It is learnt that the final assembly line for the Rafales will be set up at the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited’s (DRAL’s) Nagpur facility, which is now a subsidiary of Dassault Aviation that manufactures the fighter.
It is believed that the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group could sell its minority stake to another Indian company, after which DRAL would be renamed if the plans proceed.
Multiple Indian companies like TATA, Mahindra, Dynamatic Technologies Limited, along with over three dozen other firms are expected to be part of the Rafale project. TATA has already been contracted to manufacture the fuselage for the Rafale which will go into foreign orders at this time.
It is also learnt that the Final Assembly Line (FAL) will eventually cater to Rafale’s global demand and will act as the second manufacturing hub of the French aviation major.
And I thought this was to create integration capabilities in private sector
So Dassault is transferring it's capabilities to well, Dassault.
Do you guys now get why India is so vital to the French defence ecosystem ? This is called forward thinking. Le Francais are thinking 2 decades ahead.
By then France would likely be overwhelmed by its social contract vide pensions to the retired , debt obligations , falling TFR , declining productivity & so on.
They need a trustworthy , financially secure willing to put up big money , with a decent industrial base & politically stable partner to execute their plans thru mfg at scale at economic rates inconceivable in France whereas France retains design control & IPR .
In short a variation of the west's plan of shifting non strategic industry to China concentrating mfg there.
Our dhotis & babooodumb can't think beyond 3 months whereas our defence establishment are enamored by anything & everything foreign especially if it happens to be from the west.
However this presents an opportunity provided we get our act together & take a leaf out of China's playbook.
They will waste even more time, you are seriously underestimating Them,
The Design & Development will obviously stay in France as will the mfg of core parts. Anything & everything not deemed part of the core system will be mfgd in India.Maybe in Future Dassault will shift Itself fully to Dassault(Nagpur).
Having said that this will be a graduated process unfolding over a decade likely more. If FCAS JV happens you can expect even more mfg related activities to shift here .
We're looking at 2050 & beyond time lines here.
India asks Dassault to submit bid for 114 Rafale fighter jets by April-end
Analysis of IAF proposal shows that the true Make in India component is much lesser than expected, therefore negotiations will focus on increasing that component.
New Delhi: French aviation major Dassault Aviation has been asked to submit its bid for 114 Rafale fighters by the end of April. At least 96 of the fighters will be built in India.
Last month, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, approved the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) plan to procure 114 Rafale fighters. The project is valued at a minimum of Rs 2.5 lakh crore, the price projected by the IAF as part of the Acceptance of Necessity (AON) granted to it.
Sources in the defence and security establishment said Dassault Aviation has been asked to submit its bid detailing various aspects of the deal including the Make in India component and the cost.
Following this, a cost negotiation committee with representatives from the defence ministry and the IAF will be set up.
Sources explained that the French side will include representatives from Dassault and the French government because this will be a government-to-government deal.
Sources further said that unlike in 2016—when the talks were primarily led by the French government—this time, Dassault Aviation will also be part of discussions as they will set up a final assembly line.
An analysis of the IAF proposal, sources said, shows that the true Make in India component is much lesser than expected, therefore negotiations will focus on increasing that component.
French President Emmanuel Macron, while interacting with the media during his visit to India last week, had made it clear that the French will do whatever is necessary to meet Indian requirements.
The Indian side is looking for at least 50-60 percent indigenous content in the Rafale fighters.
The whole process is likely to be completed by the end of this financial year and a contract should be signed by the end of the next fiscal year (March 2027).
If the deal is signed in early 2027, delivery of the first 18 aircraft in fly-away condition will start from 2030 onwards.
It is learnt that the final assembly line for the Rafales will be set up at the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited’s (DRAL’s) Nagpur facility, which is now a subsidiary of Dassault Aviation that manufactures the fighter.
In September last year, Dassault Aviation acquired the majority stake in the joint venture.
It is believed that the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group could sell its minority stake to another Indian company, after which DRAL would be renamed if the plans proceed.
Multiple Indian companies like TATA, Mahindra, Dynamatic Technologies Limited, along with over three dozen other firms are expected to be part of the Rafale project. TATA has already been contracted to manufacture the fuselage for the Rafale which will go into foreign orders at this time.
It is also learnt that the Final Assembly Line (FAL) will eventually cater to Rafale’s global demand and will act as the second manufacturing hub of the French aviation major.
ThePrint was the first to report in April 2025 that the Indian government had decided to go for 114 Rafales for the IAF and the formal process would start later that year.
In the second half of 2025, the IAF formally moved a proposal to acquire the Rafale, following which discussions took place at the defence ministry and government-to-government levels.
Analysis of IAF proposal shows that the true Make in India component is much lesser than expected, therefore negotiations will focus on increasing that component.
New Delhi: French aviation major Dassault Aviation has been asked to submit its bid for 114 Rafale fighters by the end of April. At least 96 of the fighters will be built in India.
Last month, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, approved the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) plan to procure 114 Rafale fighters. The project is valued at a minimum of Rs 2.5 lakh crore, the price projected by the IAF as part of the Acceptance of Necessity (AON) granted to it.
Sources in the defence and security establishment said Dassault Aviation has been asked to submit its bid detailing various aspects of the deal including the Make in India component and the cost.
Following this, a cost negotiation committee with representatives from the defence ministry and the IAF will be set up.
Sources explained that the French side will include representatives from Dassault and the French government because this will be a government-to-government deal.
Sources further said that unlike in 2016—when the talks were primarily led by the French government—this time, Dassault Aviation will also be part of discussions as they will set up a final assembly line.
An analysis of the IAF proposal, sources said, shows that the true Make in India component is much lesser than expected, therefore negotiations will focus on increasing that component.
French President Emmanuel Macron, while interacting with the media during his visit to India last week, had made it clear that the French will do whatever is necessary to meet Indian requirements.
The Indian side is looking for at least 50-60 percent indigenous content in the Rafale fighters.
The whole process is likely to be completed by the end of this financial year and a contract should be signed by the end of the next fiscal year (March 2027).
If the deal is signed in early 2027, delivery of the first 18 aircraft in fly-away condition will start from 2030 onwards.
It is learnt that the final assembly line for the Rafales will be set up at the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited’s (DRAL’s) Nagpur facility, which is now a subsidiary of Dassault Aviation that manufactures the fighter.
In September last year, Dassault Aviation acquired the majority stake in the joint venture.
It is believed that the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group could sell its minority stake to another Indian company, after which DRAL would be renamed if the plans proceed.
Multiple Indian companies like TATA, Mahindra, Dynamatic Technologies Limited, along with over three dozen other firms are expected to be part of the Rafale project. TATA has already been contracted to manufacture the fuselage for the Rafale which will go into foreign orders at this time.
It is also learnt that the Final Assembly Line (FAL) will eventually cater to Rafale’s global demand and will act as the second manufacturing hub of the French aviation major.
ThePrint was the first to report in April 2025 that the Indian government had decided to go for 114 Rafales for the IAF and the formal process would start later that year.
In the second half of 2025, the IAF formally moved a proposal to acquire the Rafale, following which discussions took place at the defence ministry and government-to-government levels.
Well, Dassault has two months to submit a complete proposal with 50% local content (which requires negotiations with local industry), and then India has one year to set up a cost negotiation committee. 
It would never occur to them to set up the committee while Dassault is preparing its proposal...
It would never occur to them to set up the committee while Dassault is preparing its proposal...
The 1 year timeframe is for negotiations to be concluded & for the agreement to be inked.Well, Dassault has two months to submit a complete proposal with 50% local content (which requires negotiations with local industry), and then India has one year to set up a cost negotiation committee.
It would never occur to them to set up the committee while Dassault is preparing its proposal...
paying this much for only 50% non core indigenous content and delivery at 2030 seems like robbery at this point.Well, Dassault has two months to submit a complete proposal with 50% local content (which requires negotiations with local industry), and then India has one year to set up a cost negotiation committee.
It would never occur to them to set up the committee while Dassault is preparing its proposal...
It wasn't us who asked, it was you: you were determined not to ask for Rafale anymore because they were too expensive, and you organized the MRFA, which was initially for single-engine aircraft, so that you could be sure you wouldn't take the Rafale again, and now you're asking for them again. There must be a reason, right?
MRFA did not exclusively pick single-engine aircrafts. There were other contenders as well. The IAF-GoI ended up picking the Rafale.
The Indian government issued an RFI (Request for Information for 114 MRFA in 2018. As many as eight aircraft responded to the RFI. These include the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Boeing F-15EX Eagle II, Lockheed Martin F-21 (a variant of F-16V with 14 India-specific customizations), Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab JAS-39 Gripen E/F, Mikoyan MiG-35, and Sukhoi Su-35.
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We did not deem it necessary to pick up pace with reforms and put money into our domestic setup. The cost, which is staggering, is the cost of not only acquiring the aircrafts but also of bringing DA to India to setup shop here. The only other contender that could have been partnered with and negotiated with (post 2021) was SAAB. They do not offer the same level of partnership (in terms of scale and SCN development) as DA and its other partners like THALES etc. Whatever the reason(s), this is option that IAF-GoI selected.
We learned that the government of India has decided not to limit the tender for the air force to only single engine fighter, and so we end up again with a MMRCA style competition.
I chose an article that announces this government decision to initialize this topic.
Indian Air Force wants fighter jet deal worth Rs 1.25L cr to be fast-tracked
Aginst the backdrop of dwindling fighter squadrons, the Indian Air Force (IAF) feels that its requirement for more than 100...
I chose an article that announces this government decision to initialize this topic.
Indian Air Force wants fighter jet deal worth Rs 1.25L cr to be fast-tracked
Aginst the backdrop of dwindling fighter squadrons, the Indian Air Force (IAF) feels that its requirement for more than 100...
Monsieur, I am talking about the actual RFI notification that started the selection and not the scraping of the original intentions or thoughts. These present supposed intentions/course of the IAF which were later amended. The passages/sentences below are more of a intention/desire/feeling or a thought layout. If there is a version of the tender, consisting of a RFI, that targeted single-engine FAs only then I stand corrected.We learned that the government of India has decided not to limit the tender for the air force to only single engine fighter, and so we end up again with a MMRCA style competition.
I chose an article that announces this government decision to initialize this topic.
Indian Air Force wants fighter jet deal worth Rs 1.25L cr to be fast-tracked
Aginst the backdrop of dwindling fighter squadrons, the Indian Air Force (IAF) feels that its requirement for more than 100...
Against the backdrop of dwindling fighter squadrons, the Indian Air Force (IAF) feels that its requirement for more than 100 combat aircraft expected to be worth over Rs 1.25 lakh crore should be procured through a government-to-government (G2G) deal to avoid further time delays due to the complex acquisition process involved in it.
The IAF wants the inter-governmental deal as the Defence ministry is of the view that it should not proceed with the single-engine fighter aircraft programme, and initiate a global programme where all fighter aircraft manufacturers would be invited through a competitive tender and the winner would be chosen after extensive trials.