The Indian Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has on 12 February 2026 accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for a series of procurement proposals estimated at Rs3.6tn ($39.6bn).
For the Indian Air Force (IAF), the DAC authorised the acquisition of Multi Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA), identified locally as Rafale, along with Combat Missiles and an Air-Ship Based High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (AS-HAPS).
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While the Ministry of Defence (MoD) did not specify details about the aircraft in its statement, reports from local media indicated that the deal covers the purchase of 114 fighter jets.
According to these reports, approximately 20 of the MRFA are expected to be delivered in fly-away condition, with induction into the IAF fleet projected by 2030.
The remaining aircraft will be manufactured domestically through collaboration between Dassault Aviation and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
An earlier report by Asian News International (ANI) suggested that out of the 114 fighters, 96 would be produced in India.
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By GlobalDataCurrently, the IAF operates a fleet of 36 Rafale jets, with an additional order of 26 naval variants placed by the Indian Navy last year.
The Times of India reported that upon completion of this deal, the IAF’s Rafale fleet will reach a total strength of 150 aircraft.
The MoD stated: “The procurement of MRFA will enhance the capability of undertaking air dominance roles across the spectrum of conflict and significantly boost the deterrence capabilities of IAF with long range offensive strikes.”
The ministry also noted that acquiring Combat Missiles would improve stand-off ground attack capabilities by enabling deep strike operations with high accuracy.
AS-HAPS is intended for persistent intelligence-gathering, surveillance, electronic intelligence, telecommunication, and remote sensing for military purposes.
For the Indian Army, AoN was granted for anti-tank mines known as Vibhav and for overhauling vehicle platforms such as Armoured Recovery Vehicles (ARVs), T-72 tanks and Infantry Combat Vehicles (BMP-II).
The ministry said Vibhav mines will be deployed as obstacles to slow enemy mechanised advances. Overhauling ARVs, T-72s and BMP-IIs aims to extend their operational life and maintain army readiness.
In addition to air force and army procurements, the DAC approved acquisition for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard.
The Navy will receive a 04 MW Marine Gas Turbine-based Electric Power Generator and P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft.
The power generator project falls under Make-I category guidelines in the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020, which seeks to reduce foreign dependency in naval power generation.
The new P8I aircraft will be added to maritime patrol capabilities, anti-submarine operations and strike functions at sea.
For the Coast Guard, AoN was provided to procure Electro-Optical/Infra-Red systems for Dornier aircraft, which are aimed at improving maritime surveillance effectiveness.
