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Chandigarh: In a twist rich with irony, the Indian Air Force (IAF) – which once set out to acquire 126 Rafale fighters from France’s Dassault Aviation under the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal, but ended up buying just 36 – is now believed to be proposing the direct purchase of 114 units of the very same platform.

If approved, as recent media reports suggest, the move would also mark a striking deja vu: the same aircraft, nearly the same number and the same urgency – only this time, likely without competition if the Ministry of Defence (MoD) accepts the IAF’s proposal to bypass the long-stalled acquisition of 114 multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA) under existing procurement plans.

Quoting unnamed official sources, media reports declared over the weekend that the IAF had asked the MoD to urgently secure sanctions from various departments and initiate negotiations with Dassault to locally manufacture 114 Rafales in partnership with a domestic vendor for an estimated Rs 2 lakh crore.

They added that, if approved, the licence-built Rafales would feature up to 60% indigenous content, including the M88 engine, which would also be made locally in collaboration with Safran.

The French engine-maker is also establishing a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Hyderabad for the M88 power packs, expected to be operational by late 2026, serving both the IAF’s and the Indian Navy (IN)’s fleet of Rafales once deliveries are completed by 2029-30.

According to the reports, the IAF’s proposal was influenced by its existing fleet of 36 Rafales, the Navy’s order for 26 maritime variants and Dassault’s MRO facility in Ambala, Haryana, which already supports current fighter operations and offers scalable infrastructure.

Pilot-training simulators had also been installed at Ambala and Hashimara in north Bengal, where the second IAF Rafale squadron is based – further reinforcing the logistical and operational advantages of expanding the same fighter line.

And, while the practical benefits of fleet commonality and existing infrastructure lent weight to the IAF’s........

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