Sat Mar 15 17:27:57 UTC 2025: ## India Poised to Finalize $11 Billion Arms Deal with France
**New Delhi, March 15, 2025** – India is on the verge of finalizing two major defense deals with France worth nearly $11 billion. The agreements, awaiting final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), include the purchase of 26 Rafale-M fighter jets and three additional Scorpene-class submarines.
Officials confirmed that all formalities for the Rafale-M deal have been completed and submitted to the CCS weeks ago. The Indian Navy is eager for both deals to be finalized before the end of the current fiscal year on March 31st. The Rafale-M deal is expected to be concluded in April during a visit by the French Defence Minister. Deliveries are slated to begin four years after contract signing.
The Scorpene submarine deal, a follow-up to an earlier agreement, is also reportedly complete. This purchase will bolster the Indian Navy’s submarine fleet.
If finalized next month, the deals will see India receiving both the Rafale-M jets and the MQ-9B drones from the U.S. starting in 2029. The 26 Rafale-M jets, comprising 22 single-seater and four twin-seater trainers, will bridge a capability gap until the indigenous Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) is ready. The Rafale-M jets will be showcased during the upcoming Varuna exercise between India and France next week, when the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle visits Goa. The Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for these procurements was granted in July 2023.
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