India is no longer the same. Today, India is not only a country that purchases arms, but has also become an exporter of weapons developed by indigenous scientists. Now the export of Indian arms is not limited only to the third world countries, but developed countries are also showing interest in India’s defense systems. In this sequence, France also wants to buy a special system from India. For this, one of its high power committees has also visited India.

Actually, India is moving towards a deal for 114 Rafale fighter planes of 4.5 plus generation from France. This is a mega deal worth about Rs 3.25 lakh crore. This is probably considered to be the biggest deal in India’s arms purchase history. Recently the Defense Procurement Council of the Defense Ministry has approved this proposal. Now the Cabinet Committee on Security will give its final approval. After this, there will be detailed talks with France regarding technical aspects and price.

France eyes Pinaka rocket system

We are talking about Pinaka rocket system. This is an excellent multi-barrel rocket launcher system of India, which gives tough competition to the big systems of the world in its category. Its direct competition is with American HIMARS and Russian Tornado S. According to the report, talks are going on at a high level between France and India regarding Pinaka.

If this deal is done then it will be a big achievement for India’s arms exports. France is a developed country, a big player in the global arms market and also a member of NATO. In such a situation, France’s trust on Indian systems will be a big recognition of India’s defense capability.

How far did the conversation reach?

Recently, a high level delegation from France visited India to evaluate the performance, launcher and ammunition of the Pinaka system. France wants to upgrade its army’s old M270 rocket system. He is also developing his new rocket system, but that will take time. In such a situation, Pinaka is being seen as an option to meet the immediate need. Recently, the advanced version of Pinaka was also successfully tested.

Strengths and specialties of Pinaka

Pinaka is an economical and powerful rocket system. It has been in the Indian Army for almost three decades and is continuously being upgraded. It had proved its capability in the Kargil war. Armenia has already purchased this system from India. Its current version can range from 75 to 90 kilometers. The range of Pinaka MK 3 is 120 to 130 kilometers. Work is also going on on Pinaka MK 4, whose range can be up to 300 kilometers.

As far as price is concerned, the price of a Pinaka system is around Rs 2.3 crore, while the cost of the American system is said to be around Rs 19.5 crore. That means there is a difference of about eight times in price. DRDO has prepared it completely with indigenous technology and there is no dependence on foreign countries for any of its parts.

Key Features

• The biggest feature of Pinaka is its fast firing capability.
• It is very effective even in hilly and high altitude areas.
• A single launcher can fire 12 rockets in 44 seconds.
• A complete battery has six launchers and can fire 72 rockets in a minute.
• It has the capacity to destroy a square kilometer area.
• It has multi direction firing capability.
• Each launcher can fire rockets simultaneously in different directions.
• It is effective in every area like plains, desert and mountains.
• It is equipped with shoot and scoot capability, that is, it changes its position rapidly after firing.
• This makes it very difficult for the enemy to target.
• It has four operation modes, Autonomous, Stand Alone, Remote and Manual.

Is pinaka the best

It is difficult to call any system the absolute best among military equipment. It depends on the need and strategy. But due to its price, firing capability and effectiveness in every terrain, Pinaka is counted among the top systems in its category. It has been included in the top 5 in the global ranking of multi-barrel rocket systems.

The range of the American system is said to be 300 to 499 kilometers, while the range of the Russian system is 120 to 200 kilometers. Pinaka’s range is still short, but its rapid fire capability makes it special. While HIMARS fires six rockets in 45 seconds, Pinaka can fire 12 rockets in 44 seconds. On the basis of its fire power, it can target a large area in a short time.

Important agreements in the defense sector are going to be signed between the two countries during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India to attend the AI ​​Summit (17-19 February). These include making joint helicopters and making hammer bombs. It is believed that during this time, Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi can also make important announcements regarding 114 Make in India Rafale fighter jets.

India and France will jointly make helicopters and hammer bombs

The Defense Ministry issued a statement on Sunday (15 February 2026) saying that the Airbus company of France (Europe) is going to jointly manufacture the H-125 light utility helicopter with the Tata company in Vemagal (Karnataka) near Bengaluru. Macron and PM Modi will virtually inaugurate this plant. During this time, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Defense Minister of France will be present in the plant. These LUH helicopters will be made for the Indian Army.

French Defense Minister Catherine Vatarin, who is visiting India with Macron, will also be present during the agreement with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in Bengaluru on 17 February to make Hammer Bomb in India. France’s Safran company manufactures these hammer bombs and they are launched from Rafale. These highly agile modular munition extended range (HAMMER), which can hit the ground from the sky, is a stand-off weapon (bomb) which has a range of about 70 kilometers.

India used hammer bomb during Operation Sindoor

During Operation Sindoor, these hammer bombs were used by the Indian Air Force to destroy the headquarters of terrorist organizations Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba operating from Pakistan. This hammer bomb can also be fired from Mirage-2000 and indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. This is the reason why these bombs will now be made in India.

According to the Defense Ministry, there will be an agreement between Rajnath Singh and the French Defense Minister in Bengaluru on defense cooperation between the two countries (India and France) for the next 10 years. Under this agreement, for the first time, each other’s officers are going to be deployed in the armies of both the countries. This will be the first time that soldiers from any other country will be deployed in the Indian Army.

Rafale gets green signal for manufacturing in India

Defense Acquisition Council (DAC), the apex committee of the Defense Ministry, on Thursday (12 February 2026) had given the green signal for the manufacturing of French fighter jet Rafale in India under Make in India. Under this deal, France’s Dassault company, in collaboration with an indigenous (Indian) company, will manufacture 114 Rafale fighter jets in India. It is believed that during Macron’s visit, both the countries can make important announcements regarding this Make in India Rafale fighter aircraft.

The big deal to buy 114 Rafale fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force may get approval from the Defense Ministry this week. This decision can be taken just before the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Delhi. If this deal is passed, it will prove to be the biggest deal in the history of India, the total cost of which is estimated to be around Rs 3.25 lakh crore.

This deal is being done under the Multi Role Fighter Aircraft Plan of the Indian Air Force and its purpose is to strengthen the decreasing squadron number of the Air Force. Through this deal, India will not only acquire state-of-the-art fighter aircraft, but the capacity to manufacture fighter jets in the country will also increase manifold.

Make in India will get a big boost

In the report of NDTV, it has been said that this deal will be done this week. The most important condition of this deal is that about 100 Rafale fighter planes will be manufactured in India only. Under this, France will transfer high level fighter jet technology to India and a long-term strategic partnership will be formed between the two countries. This will greatly strengthen the ‘Make in India’ program and India will take a big step towards self-reliance in the field of defense production.

After the deal, India will become the largest operator of Rafale outside France. Rafale is a twin engine multi-role fighter jet, which is counted among the deadliest fighter planes in the world. It is considered adept in both air superiority and precision strike.

Rafale is already present in the Indian Air Force

India has already included 36 Rafale fighter jets in its fleet. The Air Force received the last ‘C’ variant of Rafale in December 2024. Apart from this, India has also purchased 26 Rafale Marine i.e. ‘M’ versions for the Navy, whose deal is worth about Rs 63 thousand crores.

This naval deal also includes four twin-seat trainer aircraft, maintenance and logistics support, as well as training of pilots and technical staff. According to reports, the delivery of these aircraft is expected to be completed by 2030. Rafale Marine aircraft will be deployed on INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya aircraft carriers.

Rafale’s strength shown in Operation Sindoor

Rafale fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force have already proved their strength in real war-like situations. Rafale aircraft were deployed during Operation Sindoor, conducted after the Pahalgam terrorist attack in May 2025. Apart from this, Rafale was also strategically deployed in Ladakh region. There has been talk of using SCALP cruise missile from Rafale aircraft during Operation Sindoor. This air launched missile is capable of targeting strong targets at a distance of more than 250 kilometers with great accuracy.

Why are Rafale’s weapons and technology special?

The Rafale fighter jet is equipped with long-range Meteor air-to-air missile, Hammer Stand Off Strike Weapon and Spectra Advanced Electronic Warfare System. Along with this, it is equipped with state-of-the-art radar and targeting systems, which make it very effective for modern warfare.

French President Emmanuel Macron is coming to India in the third week of February. He is expected to attend the AI ​​Summit to be held in New Delhi on February 18. Preparations have started for the visit of the French President. The visit of the French President to India is very special for the Indian defense sector. In this visit of Macron, the proposal for purchase of Rafale is also included in the bilateral talks between India and France. In this deal, 114 Rafale fighter planes are to be purchased for the Indian Air Force, in which about Rs 3.25 lakh crore is to be spent.

According to news agency ANI, India’s Defense Procurement Board has already given preliminary consent to the proposal last month, which is likely to be discussed in the high level meeting of the Defense Minister of India next week. This deal is being considered very important in terms of the needs and operations of the Indian Air Force in view of the current security situation.

How many Rafales does India have now?

The timing of discussing the purchase of Rafale aircraft from France is very important. At present there are about 30 fighter squadrons in the Indian Air Force fleet, which is much less than its sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons. Defense experts point to the growing strategic and military alliance between Bangladesh and China, as well as between Pakistan and China, as a factor increasing India’s regional security concerns.

Why is Rafale special?

Rafale project is very special for the Indian Air Force. India’s offensive air power will increase with the availability of multirole fighter aircraft with more than 4.5 generation power. There was a shortage of lethal fighter planes in the Air Force for a long time, which will be fulfilled by this deal with Rafale. According to the proposal, as part of efforts to boost defense production in India, 80 percent of the 114 Rafale aircraft are to be manufactured in India.

Indian Air Force will have 150 Rafale in its fleet.

According to sources, Indian Air Force will buy 88 single seater and 26 twin seater aircraft. Most of the production will be done by French manufacturing company The Salt and Indian private sector company, which will be done in India only. After completion of the deal, the number of aircraft in the Rafale fleet of the Indian Air Force will increase to approximately 150.

Rafale worsened Pakistan’s condition in Operation Sindoor

114 Rafale deal is also special in this sense, because it performed brilliantly during Operation Sindoor. During this period, due to accurate attacks by India, Pakistan was forced to surrender. Rafale is a 4.5 generation fighter jet, which is considered much better than the Pakistani JF-17. Not only this, there are currently 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in the Indian Air Force fleet, while the Navy has also ordered new variants for 36 Rafales.