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Chandigarh: Remarkably, the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) proposed Rs 3.25 lakh crore acquisition of 114 Dassault Rafale fighters under the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) programme has attracted little scrutiny in either the media or defence circles, despite effectively returning India to a requirement it first sought to fulfil through the 126-aircraft Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) programme launched in 2007, estimated at around Rs 42,000 crore.

The absence of serious debate is striking for what is arguably one of the largest and most consequential military procurement decisions in India’s history. Nearly two decades after the original MMRCA programme was launched, India is poised to spend nearly eight times more money for fewer combat aircraft of essentially the same type – an outcome that, in almost any other sector of public spending, would almost certainly have triggered demands for explanation and accountability.

Moreover, the accompanying irony is difficult to miss: the original MMRCA programme was never intended to be merely a platform acquisition. It was envisaged as a means of building domestic aerospace capability, absorbing advanced technologies, expanding domestic manufacturing and strengthening India’s defence-industrial base – the very essence of Atmanirbharta. Much of that vision has since dissipated, even as the cost of restoring the IAF’s declining fighter strength has escalated dramatically.

Citing official sources, multiple media reports on Friday (August 7) revealed that Dassault Aviation had submitted its commercial and technical proposal to the Ministry of Defence for 114 Rafales, whose acquisition is being pursued through the government-to-government (G2G) route.

The proposed framework

Under this proposed framework, which is expected to be finalised within the current financial year, 20 Rafales would be delivered to the IAF in fly-away condition, while the remaining 94 would be manufactured in India by a yet-to-be-designated domestic production partner – a first such manufacturing venture of this scale for Dassault outside France. The fighter’s indigenous content is expected to eventually reach around 50%, as Indian industry assumes a progressively larger role in its........

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