Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighter For The Indian Navy - Updates & Discussions

[Picdelamirand-oil]

India To Approve Acquisition of 26 Rafale-Maritime Jets​

The Narendra Modi-led Indian government is poised to approve the acquisition of 26 Rafale-Maritime (M) fighter jets this month, signaling a continued emphasis on bolstering India’s naval air power. This move aligns with the government’s broader strategy of modernizing its armed forces through increased capital expenditure on defense equipment. The 2024-25 fiscal year has seen the NDA government allocate over ₹2 lakh crore towards this objective, reflecting a commitment to enhancing national security.

Sources reveal that the $7.6 billion fighter jet deal is all set to go before the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) later this month and will be followed by government approval for three additional diesel electric submarines after all the stakeholders are brought on the same page. The Rafale-M fighters will be used to give more teeth to the Indian Navy at sea onboard India’s two aircraft carriers, while the additional submarines will strengthen conventional deterrence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

The Rafale-M, a naval variant of the French-made Rafale fighter, is expected to significantly enhance the Indian Navy’s operational capabilities, particularly in the Indian Ocean region. These aircraft are designed for carrier-based operations, providing a crucial edge in maritime security. The acquisition underscores India’s focus on securing its vast coastline and strategic sea lanes, especially in light of increasing geopolitical complexities.

The defence ministry signed 193 contracts in 2024-2025 with an outlay of ₹209059.85 crore as compared to 192 contracts worth ₹104855.92 crore in 2023-2024. Since the Narendra Modi government took office in 2014, the ministry has signed 1096 contracts worth nearly ₹10 ( ₹946225.48) lakh crore.

This procurement decision is part of a larger trend of prioritizing indigenous defense manufacturing alongside strategic foreign acquisitions. The government’s push for “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) in defense aims to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers while simultaneously acquiring critical technologies. The Rafale-M deal, while involving foreign technology, is likely to include provisions for technology transfer and local manufacturing components, further supporting this goal.

The significant capital outlay on defense equipment highlights the government’s perception of evolving security challenges. The need to maintain a credible deterrent against potential adversaries, coupled with the imperative to safeguard maritime interests, drives these substantial investments. The Rafale-M acquisition represents a strategic move to ensure India’s naval dominance in the region, reinforcing its position as a key player in the Indo-Pacific.

 

[Sathya]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1908169632684360042

48 months , what version will it be ?

@randomradio between 2029-31 what version will be delivered ? F4.2 R or F5

 

[randomradio]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1908169632684360042

48 months , what version will it be ?

@randomradio between 2029-31 what version will be delivered ? F4.2 R or F5

With a 2024 expected signature and deliveries from 2027 or 2028, it would have been for the F4, but with the new dates, it changes things. F5 is expected in 2030, but 2029 with a few jets with the same hardware as F5 operational in France but delivered to India in 2030 with all the software updates necessary for the base version without ISE makes the most sense.

We should consider it a pretty dumb decision if the IN decided to go for F4 at this point.

 

[Parthu]

CCS cleared acquisition of 26 Rafales (22 x single-seat M and 6 x twin-seat shore-based aircraft) for Navy.

Deal worth Rs. 63,000 crores ($7.3 billion) expected to be signed this month.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1909875578703933941

 

[Rajput Lion]

We are always too parsimonious. We should have gone for 36+36= 72 Rafales for IAF along with 26+26= 52 Rafales for the IN.

Anyways, more Rafale are always good for us and bad for our enemy

 

[Speedster1]

Ideally, these new birds should've been C (land-based) versions, not M. But the sad state of the MiG-29Ks has left us with no choice. The status of the TEDBF is also uncertain now that the IN has made known its preference for a 5G stealth jet.

In terms of the weapons fit though, the air-launched Exocet is the only one we don't already have.

 

[South block]

CCS cleared acquisition of 26 Rafales (22 x single-seat M and 6 x twin-seat shore-based aircraft) for Navy.

Deal worth Rs. 63,000 crores ($7.3 billion) expected to be signed this month.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1909875578703933941

332 million per plane holy s**t

 

[Hydra]

We are always too parsimonious. We should have gone for 36+36= 72 Rafales for IAF along with 26+26= 52 Rafales for the IN.

Anyways, more Rafale are always good for us and bad for our enemy

For IAF,it should be 54 additional followed by mmrca.

 

[Lolwa]

332 million per plane holy s**t

These are rafale M's with F4 standard. Obviously they are going to be more expensive than your standard rafales.

 

[Ashwin]

These are rafale M's with F4 standard. Obviously they are going to be more expensive than your standard rafales.

So basically like iphone?

 

[Lolwa]

So basically like iphone?

Buying an iPhone pro with waterproof and armoured glass, limited edition.

The French have like 46 rafale M's. At this point it's a complex situation. The rafale and m-88 needs to be license produced in India. It's over. The tedbf needs to be made proper fifth gen programme at this point. Wasting on making it a pseudo 4.5 gen fighter when we will have rafale is now pointless. Unless we want to position it as a kf-21 competitor.
Also with the whole gcap talk going on it's better we go for the typhoon now for mmrca. We habe mastered GaN tech we could easily absorb captor mk2 aesa.

 

[Hydra]

These are rafale M's with F4 standard. Obviously they are going to be more expensive than your standard rafales.

F4 or F4 with F5 compatible wiring?
@Picdelamirand-oil

 

[GASOLINE_ON_FIRE]

2500 crore per plane.....for 26 planes.............Kaveri program's entire budget was 2500 crore.

AatMaNiRbHaR bharat my a@ss. Modi is a feku, havent seen such a myopic retard. Forget labour or land reforms, mfer is enriching french MIC[after enriching russian MIC for 2 decades].

I hope these Rafales crash & burn. Modi can die in hell.

Edit: some clowns are still not happy, want to import even more. Why stop at these numbers. lets import 500 rafales. Lets import pilots as well. Lets have a rerun of Soviet collpase. Log khule main hagg rahe yahan, 2500 crore ke gold plated 4th gen non-stealth rafale import karne chale.

 

[Picdelamirand-oil]

26 Rafales: Why China & Pakistan Must Worry As Indian Navy Forges A Formidable Carrier Battle Group In Indian Ocean​

 

[Hydra]

2500 crore per plane.....for 26
I hope these Rafales crash & burn. Modi can die in hell.

You wants Rafale to crash,so that of india will burn?

 

[GASOLINE_ON_FIRE]

26 Rafales: Why China & Pakistan Must Worry As Indian Navy Forges A Formidable Carrier Battle Group In Indian Ocean​

ah.......yes.......a non-stealth 4th gen aircraft with reduced combat load(due to lack of catapults on indian a/c) is going to cause worry among Pak & China......lmfao
The people that will be worried the most will be indian taxpayers. lol. Within 10 years these Rafales will become increasingly outdated technologically. With their small radome size, their radars are already handicapped physically. Add onto the fact that french still havent managed to move past GaAs. The Tejas program for all its delays has still managed a GaN Aesa, the french still havent.


Lets look at Indian navy's Rafales:
-GaAs AESA means they are not an good as their competitors in detecting threats(J-35)
-Indian Navy doesn't operate carrier based long-range AWACS, meaning Rafales coupled with their bad radars have horrible situational awareness
-Non-stealth aircraft means that they are detected form farther distances
-Lack of catapults means that these Rafales have to compromise on either fuel or weapons loadout. Which means, at any given time, these aircrafts when compared to IAF rafales, will have either far less On-station time or far less offensive capability due reduced payload capacity
-As we saw with Mirage-2000, these Rafales will again need expensive upgrades with 10 to 15 years of time-frame, even then they wont be good enough, as seen with IAF's upgraded M-2000s


With $7 billion Indian navy could've gotten an entire new fleet of SSBNs/SSNs, but I guess Aircraft Carriers are more prestigious so they are willing to burn money like maniacs to satisfy their egos. If they had any sense:
1. This money should've been ploughed into indian MIC, not french MIC.
2. The product they are buying with this much money is appalingly mediocre.
Double whammy. People have started waking upto the fact that imported aircrafts are a burden, and disillusionment with Rafales has already begun anyways as people start comparing it with stealth aircrafts.


AMCA should've been merged with TEDBF long ago to form a naval version. That entire program should've been then handed a blank cheque. All of India's wars will take place in the shadow of AMCA.

 

[Asterion Moloc]

ah.......yes.......a non-stealth 4th gen aircraft with reduced combat load(due to lack of catapults on indian a/c) is going to cause worry among Pak & China......lmfao
The people that will be worried the most will be indian taxpayers. lol. Within 10 years these Rafales will become increasingly outdated technologically. With their small radome size, their radars are already handicapped physically. Add onto the fact that french still havent managed to move past GaAs. The Tejas program for all its delays has still managed a GaN Aesa, the french still havent.


Lets look at Indian navy's Rafales:
-GaAs AESA means they are not an good as their competitors in detecting threats(J-35)
-Indian Navy doesn't operate carrier based long-range AWACS, meaning Rafales coupled with their bad radars have horrible situational awareness
-Non-stealth aircraft means that they are detected form farther distances
-Lack of catapults means that these Rafales have to compromise on either fuel or weapons loadout. Which means, at any given time, these aircrafts when compared to IAF rafales, will have either far less On-station time or far less offensive capability due reduced payload capacity
-As we saw with Mirage-2000, these Rafales will again need expensive upgrades with 10 to 15 years of time-frame, even then they wont be good enough, as seen with IAF's upgraded M-2000s


With $7 billion Indian navy could've gotten an entire new fleet of SSBNs/SSNs, but I guess Aircraft Carriers are more prestigious so they are willing to burn money like maniacs to satisfy their egos. If they had any sense:
1. This money should've been ploughed into indian MIC, not french MIC.
2. The product they are buying with this much money is appalingly mediocre.
Double whammy. People have started waking upto the fact that imported aircrafts are a burden, and disillusionment with Rafales has already begun anyways as people start comparing it with stealth aircrafts.


AMCA should've been merged with TEDBF long ago to form a naval version. That entire program should've been then handed a blank cheque. All of India's wars will take place in the shadow of AMCA.

Nor can Rafale fit into hangars of carrier without modifications to the carrier or the Rafale itself!!

 

[Zarion]

ah.......yes.......a non-stealth 4th gen aircraft with reduced combat load(due to lack of catapults on indian a/c) is going to cause worry among Pak & China......lmfao
The people that will be worried the most will be indian taxpayers. lol. Within 10 years these Rafales will become increasingly outdated technologically. With their small radome size, their radars are already handicapped physically. Add onto the fact that french still havent managed to move past GaAs. The Tejas program for all its delays has still managed a GaN Aesa, the french still havent.


Lets look at Indian navy's Rafales:
-GaAs AESA means they are not an good as their competitors in detecting threats(J-35)
-Indian Navy doesn't operate carrier based long-range AWACS, meaning Rafales coupled with their bad radars have horrible situational awareness
-Non-stealth aircraft means that they are detected form farther distances
-Lack of catapults means that these Rafales have to compromise on either fuel or weapons loadout. Which means, at any given time, these aircrafts when compared to IAF rafales, will have either far less On-station time or far less offensive capability due reduced payload capacity
-As we saw with Mirage-2000, these Rafales will again need expensive upgrades with 10 to 15 years of time-frame, even then they wont be good enough, as seen with IAF's upgraded M-2000s


With $7 billion Indian navy could've gotten an entire new fleet of SSBNs/SSNs, but I guess Aircraft Carriers are more prestigious so they are willing to burn money like maniacs to satisfy their egos. If they had any sense:
1. This money should've been ploughed into indian MIC, not french MIC.
2. The product they are buying with this much money is appalingly mediocre.
Double whammy. People have started waking upto the fact that imported aircrafts are a burden, and disillusionment with Rafales has already begun anyways as people start comparing it with stealth aircrafts.


AMCA should've been merged with TEDBF long ago to form a naval version. That entire program should've been then handed a blank cheque. All of India's wars will take place in the shadow of AMCA.

What a dumb and ignorant take.

The SSBNs and SSNs you are talking about aren't coming until 2035-37. That too with the current timelines where the propulsion is still under development.

The S5 class hasn't even completed it's design phase let alone the CCS clearance so it will also take over a decade.

The indigenous SSK program is even further behind in terms of development, with it's design phase not even starting yet.

So you are not getting any indigenous submarines other than the S4 in a decade no matter how much money you spend.

The rafale won't have horrible just because it has GaAs based radar, it will be worse than the J 35s but not objectively "horrible" like you framed it to be.

And you are wrong about Tejas having a GaN based radar. There is no indian GaN based radar other than the virupaksha. The MK 2 will feature a GaAs based radar for the prototype, the MK 2 GaN radar isn't ready.

They won't have "far less" capabilities, they may indeed be less capable than the French rafale Ms but for that there is a need for data to confirm.

The comparison between the IAF Rafale and Naval Rafales don't even make sense because they offer different radars and different EW suites.

Rafales are meant to replace the Migs because several of them have crashed and Navy now has 2 ACs. The Rafales will be a mainstay until the TEDBF which is rumoured to be a 5th gen platform.

The TEDBF itself will not be coming until the late 30s or early 40s because there will be a need for a new prototype development which will take a long time.

The fact is that there isn't any other aircraft available to replace the Migs and there won't be any for more than decade be it an indigenous or a foreign aircraft. The need to replace/compliment the Migs is urgent and rafale is the best candidate for it.

Nor can Rafale fit into hangars of carrier without modifications to the carrier or the Rafale itself!!

It can

 

[Hydra]

What a dumb and ignorant take.

The SSBNs and SSNs you are talking about aren't coming until 2035-37. That too with the current timelines where the propulsion is still under development.

The S5 class hasn't even completed it's design phase let alone the CCS clearance so it will also take over a decade.

The indigenous SSK program is even further behind in terms of development, with it's design phase not even starting yet.

So you are not getting any indigenous submarines other than the S4 in a decade no matter how much money you spend.

The rafale won't have horrible just because it has GaAs based radar, it will be worse than the J 35s but not objectively "horrible" like you framed it to be.

And you are wrong about Tejas having a GaN based radar. There is no indian GaN based radar other than the virupaksha. The MK 2 will feature a GaAs based radar for the prototype, the MK 2 GaN radar isn't ready.

They won't have "far less" capabilities, they may indeed be less capable than the French rafale Ms but for that there is a need for data to confirm.

The comparison between the IAF Rafale and Naval Rafales don't even make sense because they offer different radars and different EW suites.

Rafales are meant to replace the Migs because several of them have crashed and Navy now has 2 ACs. The Rafales will be a mainstay until the TEDBF which is rumoured to be a 5th gen platform.

The TEDBF itself will not be coming until the late 30s or early 40s because there will be a need for a new prototype development which will take a long time.

The fact is that there isn't any other aircraft available to replace the Migs and there won't be any for more than decade be it an indigenous or a foreign aircraft. The need to replace/compliment the Migs is urgent and rafale is the best candidate for it.

It can

Don't reply some one who wishes to crash the weapon weapon we are flying by telling that it's too costly.

 

[GASOLINE_ON_FIRE]

The SSBNs and SSNs you are talking about aren't coming until 2035-37. That too with the current timelines where the propulsion is still under development.

The S5 class hasn't even completed it's design phase let alone the CCS clearance so it will also take over a decade.

The indigenous SSK program is even further behind in terms of development, with it's design phase not even starting yet.

So you are not getting any indigenous submarines other than the S4 in a decade no matter how much money you spend.

What a tone-deaf take.
Money is THE biggest bottleneck in any weapons development program. Lack of funding is the single biggest bottleneck in our submarine program as well. The SSN program got its CCS approval in 2015. Why do you think it was delayed?? Why is the Arihant class moving at snail's pace??? This is after all the Russian help in copying their reactor designs!!!

Submarine program was just an example, if you dont like it, you can look towards any other development program. I just mentioned Kaveri in my previous post. What was the budget of Kaveri program?? 2500 crores

DRDO has been begging for more funding because they dont have enough funds to establish testing facilities. Talent acquisition & testing facilities are the direct factors affected by how much funding you have. Why do you think DRDO is waiting for K9 testing??? They dont have a flying test-bed. Why do you think they dont have a flying test-bed? because Govt was convinced that they would save money by using russian facilities. Penny pinching. End result - beg for engine JV with france now. China was in the same boat as us, look at the difference in funding and the results they got.

The rafale won't have horrible just because it has GaAs based radar, it will be worse than the J 35s but not objectively "horrible" like you framed it to be.

You are just arguing semantics now. Rafale's non-stealth shaping + GaAs radar + Small size of radar makes sure it will lose against chinese stealth aircraft most of the times. India is paying $7 billion to buy puny amounts[26] of these mediocre aircraft that are sure to lose in an engagement with its adversary. I will call it horrible. You can call it whatever you like, whatever helps you feel better.

And you are wrong about Tejas having a GaN based radar. There is no indian GaN based radar other than the virupaksha. The MK 2 will feature a GaAs based radar for the prototype, the MK 2 GaN radar isn't ready.

WTF are you on about??? It was confirmed at Aero India that Tejas mk2 will get GaN Uttam variant. Reps of AMPL confirmed it. DRDO owns the GaN MMIC tech, where does this assumption come from that Virupaksha is the only GaN radar. Hawk-I variants were also offered as GaN. WTF???

They won't have "far less" capabilities, they may indeed be less capable than the French rafale Ms but for that there is a need for data to confirm.

You need data to confirm that ramp launched Rafales will be less capable?? With no AWACS?? alright

The comparison between the IAF Rafale and Naval Rafales don't even make sense because they offer different radars and different EW suites.

I dont care enough about Rafales to find out the minute details about differences in the variants but I know for a fact that none of them have a GaN radar. It wont come before 2031. And when they do come, the french will suck you dry for those upgrades as they did with M-2000.

Rafales are meant to replace the Migs because several of them have crashed and Navy now has 2 ACs. The Rafales will be a mainstay until the TEDBF which is rumoured to be a 5th gen platform.

The TEDBF itself will not be coming until the late 30s or early 40s because there will be a need for a new prototype development which will take a long time.

The fact is that there isn't any other aircraft available to replace the Migs and there won't be any for more than decade be it an indigenous or a foreign aircraft. The need to replace/compliment the Migs is urgent and rafale is the best candidate for it.

Why do you think TEDBF is delayed??? No funds.
When navy made up its req in 2018, they expected quick funding & flying prototypes to replace Mig29ks. But they never got the money. Now TEDBF is supposed to fly in 2038 or something, why??? again no funds.


Lets take a look the adverse effects of lack of funding by a factual report in another govt institution:

Sriharikota, we have a situation. Limited budget, manpower are stifling India’s space ambitions

Delayed funding cycles, ageing launch tech, unattractive salaries & an exodus of bright minds threaten to derail India’s space dreams before liftoff truly begins.

theprint.in

While it is reaching breathlessly for the stars, the Indian space agency only has about 13,000 employees and a limited budget. Add to that youngsters jumping ship for better opportunities and the picture becomes clearer.

In the Union Budget 2025-26, the Department of Space was allocated Rs 13,416.20 crore, only slightly higher than what it was in the previous year—Rs 13,042.75 crore. This figure too was revised downwards to Rs 11,725.75 crore in the revised estimate. On the other hand, the Railways in a press statement in 2021 to announce the setting up of kiosks for spittoon pouches said it spent around Rs 12,000 crore each year on cleaning gutka stains.

A senior ISRO official, who wished not to be named, told ThePrint that getting budgets approved, especially for big-ticket missions, is a lengthy process. After ISRO prepares an estimate for each mission, it is assessed by the Space Commission, as well as for missions of national importance by the tri-forces, before it is finalised. “Since most missions continue for a long period, the projections do not always align with the actual budget we receive. The amount gets carried to the next year,” the official explained.

ISRO data shows that the attrition rate in the organisation is around two to three percent, but a closer look reveals that most scientists quit ISRO at the entry level. Data shows that between 2012 and 2017, as many as 289 scientists left 25 institutes run by ISRO.
Between 2018 and 2022, as many as 381 scientists across ISRO centres resigned, and from 2023 to May 2024, around 38 scientists quit the space agency for greener pastures. Data also shows that as of 2023, ISRO had 9,337 group A or tier-1 scientists, 2,303 group B scientists, and 1,141 group C scientists, apart from its administrative staff

For ISRO, it is not just about retaining its scientists. It is also struggling to hire the brightest scientific minds of the country. This is no secret, and top ISRO officials agree.
At an event at IIT-Madras, Somanath said ISRO, despite being India’s apex space centre, is unable to hire graduates from top institutes like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
“We go to recruit from IITs, and the moment they hear the package, the room gets empty,” the former ISRO chief said, while stressing that the Indian space agency was not getting the best talent of the country.

At least five current and former ISRO scientists ThePrint spoke to said that low pay and the lack of challenging research opportunities were the primary reasons behind youngsters opting for private opportunities.Curiously, among all the ISRO centres, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram and the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad—both among the most coveted centres of ISRO—recorded the highest attrition.

While this confirms the bankability of ISRO’s technology, it also raises questions about the agency’s lack of latest innovations and research. Many technological developments and research initiatives that the space agency had initiated over the last few years have either been halted or have moved at a snail’s pace.
India’s Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), Pushpak—a sustainable technology for launch vehicles that the space agency committed to developing way back in 2010—is still not ready.
This is after government and private space agencies across the world have already mastered the technology. Musk’s SpaceX developed the reusable technology for its Falcon 9 rocket in the 2010s. RLVs don’t just allow launch agencies to reuse the rockets for multiple missions, they also significantly reduce the cost of missions.