India could conclude Rafale fighter deal this financial year, air chief says

India may finalise its proposed multi-role fighter aircraft deal with France during the current financial year if negotiations proceed as planned, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh said on Saturday. The proposed agreement covers 114 Rafale fighter jets under a government-to-government framework.

India cleared the long-pending acquisition proposal in February 2026, and price negotiations and other key issues are currently under way. Speaking at a press conference ahead of Air Force Day, Air Chief Marshal Singh also said the Indian Air Force might need to consider another aircraft platform if the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme faces delays. He said Russia had offered India Su-57 fighter jets, but stressed that no decision had been made on the proposal.

The air chief said the IAF needed to acquire at least 36 to 40 aircraft a year over the next few years because of the declining strength of its fighter squadrons. He said air power remained important to India’s overall military capability and that the country needed to increase its strength in this area. Air Chief Marshal Singh also said the force needed to become augmented by artificial intelligence.

He described self-reliance as important to combat readiness and underlined the need for India to produce a fighter-jet engine domestically. The comments place the proposed Rafale acquisition alongside wider efforts to address aircraft numbers, develop an indigenous advanced fighter and improve technological capability. The source material does not provide a value or completion date for the negotiations beyond the expectation that the deal could be finalised during the current financial year.