IAF eyes finalisation of $33.8 billion MRFA deal by FY-end: Air Chief

By Aroonim Bhuyan

New Delhi, Oct 3. India could finalise the long-pending Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) programme by the end of the current financial year, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said on October 3, as negotiations continue on the proposed acquisition of 114 fighter jets.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Air Force Day, the Chief of Air Staff said price negotiations and other key aspects of the proposed deal, estimated at around ₹3.25 lakh crore (around $33.8 billion), were currently being worked out.

India had in February cleared the proposal to acquire 114 Rafale fighter aircraft under a government-to-government arrangement with France. The acquisition is part of the country’s efforts to strengthen the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) combat fleet and address the persistent shortfall in fighter squadrons.

The MRFA programme has been in the works for nearly two decades. If concluded as proposed, the acquisition would significantly expand India’s Rafale fleet. The IAF currently operates 36 Rafale fighters, while the Indian Navy has ordered 26 Rafale-M naval fighters for deployment from its aircraft carriers. The addition of 114 aircraft would take India’s overall Rafale inventory to 176.

Air Chief Marshal Singh also indicated that the IAF could consider another fighter platform if delays affect the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, India’s planned indigenous fifth-generation fighter.

“Russia has offered us Su-57 jets, but no decision has been made on it,” he said.

The Air Chief also stressed the urgency of increasing the number of fighter aircraft in the IAF amid a continuing shortage of operational squadrons. He said the force would need to induct at least 36-40 fighter aircraft every year over the next few years to strengthen its combat capability.

India needs to accelerate the expansion and modernisation of its air power, which remains a critical component of the country’s overall military capability, he said.

Outlining the IAF’s future modernisation priorities, Singh said the force would need to become increasingly technology-driven and “AI-augmented”. He also emphasised that greater self-reliance in defence production would be essential to maintaining combat readiness.

A key priority, he said, was the development and production of a fighter aircraft engine within India. Indigenous engine capability has long been regarded as one of the major technological gaps in India’s efforts to build a fully self-reliant fighter aircraft ecosystem.

The proposed Rafale acquisition is also expected to contribute to India’s domestic defence manufacturing base. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh had said in September that the agreement with France would help establish a second fighter aircraft production line in India while promoting greater indigenisation of defence manufacturing.

At the same time, the government intends to continue development of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A programme alongside the Rafale acquisition.

The Defence Secretary had described the Tejas programme as following a “spiral development” approach, under which successive versions would incorporate increasingly advanced indigenous technologies, including domestically developed radars and weapons.

The parallel pursuit of Rafale, Tejas Mk1A and AMCA reflects India’s broader effort to address its immediate fighter-aircraft requirements while building a longer-term indigenous aerospace and combat-aircraft ecosystem.