Think long-term: Rafale-M deal good, but IAF's bigger needs remain

The question now is how to fill the increasingly urgent needs of the IAF. It is worth recalling that the desired strength of the IAF is 42 squadrons, though it now has 31 squadrons

It has been reported that the Cabinet Committee on Security has cleared the purchase of 26 Rafale jets, of the “Marine” version, for use on carriers of the Indian Navy. This will be a government-to-government purchase at a cost of $6.6 billion, which is approximately ₹64,000 crore. The Indian Air Force (IAF) had previously bought 34 Rafales in flyaway condition for ₹59,000 crore, in an agreement signed in 2016. These are in service, half of them deployed in a westerly facing direction in Ambala and the other half in Hasimara, facing the Northeast. The new Rafale-M jets are supposed to