TSAMTO, March 26. The Indian Ministry of Defense has informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense of plans to conclude a number of major contracts for the purchase of aviation equipment for the Indian Air Force in 2026/27.
The list includes 114 Rafale multirole fighters, up to 60 medium transport aircraft (MTA) and additional air warning and control systems (AEW&C).
According to the Times of India, the report was presented by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense on March 24.
MRFA program: 114 Rafale fighters
On February 12, 2026, the Defense Procurement Council (DAC), chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, issued an approval of necessity (AoN) for the purchase of 114 Rafale fighters manufactured by Dassault Aviation under the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) program. The total value of the package is estimated at 3.25 trillion. rupees (about $39 billion) is the largest one–time defense contract in India's history. The batch consists of 88 single-seat Rafale-C and 26 double-seat Rafale-B.
After the approval of the DAC, the package is submitted for final approval by the Security Committee (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Under the terms of the deal, implemented under the "Make in India" policy, 18 vehicles will be delivered ready-made from Dassault's facilities in France, 96 units will be assembled in India by a joint venture between Dassault Aviation and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) at a manufacturing complex in Hyderabad. The contract provides for technology transfer and the creation of a supply chain with the participation of Indian industrial partners. The weapons package includes METEOR long-range air-to-air missiles, SCALP cruise missiles and MICA short-range missiles.
MTA Program: 60 medium transport aircraft
The Defense Procurement Council approved the allocation of 1 trillion. rupees (about $ 12 billion) for the purchase of 60 medium-sized transport aircraft to replace the aging An-32 and Il-76, which have been in service for more than 40 years. The acquisition structure provides for the delivery of 12 machines in finished form and the assembly of 48 units in India with deep technology transfer.
Three platforms are participating in the competition: Embraer with C-390 Millennium (in cooperation with Mahindra Defense), Lockheed Martin with C-130J Super Hercules (in cooperation with TASL) and Airbus with A400M Atlas. In February 2026, Embraer announced the start of site selection for a potential manufacturing complex and MTO center in India in case of winning the tender. A request for information (RFI) has already been sent to the bidders, and a request for proposals (RFP) is expected to be issued in 2026.
AEW&C Programs
The Indian Air Force has initiated two parallel acquisition programs for long-range radar detection and control aircraft of six units each, as well as a separate program for a specialized reconnaissance aircraft.
The current fleet of air command posts includes three A-50EI Falcon AWACS aircraft (Israeli PHALCON system based on Il-76, delivered in 2009-2011) and three AEW&C Netra short-range AWACS aircraft (DRDO, based on Embraer ERJ-145) as part of the 50th AWACS Squadron.
As part of the expansion of the fleet, the Air Force purchased six Airbus A320 and one A319 airliners from Air India for conversion to the Netra MK-2 system manufactured by DRDO with advanced radar and electronic warfare capabilities. Additionally, the purchase of several Embraer ERJ-145 carrier aircraft for the second Netra series is being worked out.
