Air Chief Marshal AP Singh has arrived in France for a four-day visit as India prepares to formally initiate negotiations for one of its largest fighter aircraft acquisition programs, reported New Indian Express.

His engagements include meetings with senior French military officials and visits to Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of the Rafale, and MBDA, the European missile consortium that supplies the Indian Air Force with critical weapons such as the Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, the MICA air-to-air missile and the SCALP deep-strike cruise missile. He is scheduled to return on 5 June.

This visit coincides with New Delhi’s finalisation of the Letter of Request to France, which is expected to be dispatched within days.

The LoR will formally trigger negotiations for the proposed government-to-government deal and will outline India’s operational, industrial and weapons integration requirements.

Once France responds, the process will advance to the Contract Negotiation Committee stage, where commercial, contractual and production terms will be discussed before final approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security.

Indian defence officials have emphasised that the integration of indigenous weapons is a firm and non-negotiable requirement in the forthcoming negotiations.

While India is not seeking access to the Rafale’s source code, which no original equipment manufacturer shares for frontline fighters, it will insist on obtaining Interface Control Documents.

These technical arrangements will enable integration and certification of indigenous systems such as the Astra beyond-visual-range missile, the future BrahMos-NG and other locally developed weapons throughout the aircraft’s service life.

The proposed deal envisages 88 single-seat and 26 twin-seat Rafales. Of these, 18 aircraft are expected to be delivered in fly-away condition, while the remainder will be built in India with indigenous content progressively rising to around 40 to 50 per cent.

Dassault already has a production ecosystem in India through its partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited, which manufactures Rafale aero-structures and components. Plans have also been announced to produce fuselage sections in India, laying the groundwork for local production under the mega fighter program.

If negotiations proceed smoothly, the contract could be signed in the first half of next year. Deliveries of the initial aircraft are expected to begin by 2030, with local production ramping up thereafter.

The contract is also likely to include provisions for future upgrades. The IAF’s current Rafale fleet operates in the F3 standard and is scheduled to be upgraded to the F4 configuration.

The new aircraft are expected to incorporate features that will allow eventual migration to the future F5 standard once it becomes available.

The visit also follows the IAF’s recent move to localise sustainment of its MICA air-to-air missiles. An agreement with MBDA will establish a Maintenance, Repair and Mid-Life Overhaul facility in India.

Under this arrangement, the IAF will operate the facility while MBDA provides machinery, technical data packages, training and engineering support.

This acquisition is aimed at addressing the IAF’s declining squadron strength and will complement indigenous programs such as the TEJAS MK-1A, the upcoming TEJAS MK-2 and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.

The Rafale deal is therefore seen as a critical bridge in India’s air power planning, ensuring operational readiness until indigenous fighter projects reach maturity.

Agencies