India and France sign a ₹64,000 crore agreement to purchase 26 Rafale aircraft for the Indian Navy.

According to the news agency PTI, India inked an intergovernmental agreement on Monday, April 28, to purchase 26 naval versions of the Rafale fighter jet from France for the Indian Navy at a cost of over ₹64,000 crore.

The report states that Vice Admiral K Swaminathan of the Indian Navy and Indian Defense Secretary RK Singh were present on Monday when the two parties exchanged the agreement. According to reports, Rajnath Singh, the minister of defense, attended the signing ceremony as well. These brand-new Rafales for the Indian Navy will be delivered alongside the current fleet, increasing the total number of Rafale aircraft in India to 36. According to the news agency AFP, the Indian government previously purchased ten Rafale jets as part of an attempt to update its military hardware.

The new aircraft, which will be purchased from Dassault Aviation, will be installed on India's INS Vikrant aircraft carrier, according to media reports.