India finalises request letter for 114 Rafales, to send it to France soon

📌 Summary:

• India has finalised the Letter of Request (LoR) for procuring 114 Rafale fighter jets for the IAF and will send it to France within the next few weeks
• Around 90 of the 114 jets will be manufactured in India through a Dassault Aviation-Indian company collaboration; the rest will arrive in fly-away condition
• The LoR follows the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) clearance; after France responds, India will issue the Request for Proposal (RFP), and the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) must approve before the final contract
• Indigenous content will be nearly 50%; India is negotiating Interface Control Documents (ICD) to integrate indigenous weapons such as Astra and BrahMos-NG
• The IAF has only 29 fighter squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42; the Rafales will bridge the gap until indigenous programmes (LCA Mk1A, LCA Mk2, AMCA) mature - AMCA is expected only after 2035
• The IAF already operates 36 Rafales and the Navy is inducting 26 Rafale M jets; the government aims to sign the contract by the end of 2026

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 (Science & Technology / Defence) - defence procurement process, indigenisation and self-reliance in defence manufacturing, modernisation of the armed forces.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• A Letter of Request (LoR) is a government-to-government document used under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) route
• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) clears the proposal; the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) gives final approval before contract signing
• IAF sanctioned squadron strength is 42; current strength is 29
• Indigenous fighter programmes include LCA Mk1A, LCA Mk2 and the fifth-generation AMCA

🔑 Key Term: Letter of Request (LoR) - a formal government-to-government document that initiates a defence procurement by outlining the required capabilities, quantities and technical specifications.