**India Wants Rafale Jets Equipped for Indian Weapons From Day One**
India is reportedly progressing with plans to acquire approximately 114 Dassault Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force. This time, however, the emphasis is not only on purchasing the aircraft but also on ensuring they can use Indian-made weapons from the moment they are inducted into service.
According to reports, the Indian Air Force wants indigenous systems such as the **Astra Mk2 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile** and the **BrahMos-NG supersonic cruise missile** to be integrated into the Rafale under the initial procurement agreement.
Rafale jets are generally delivered with French weapon systems, including the **Meteor** and **SCALP** missiles. Integrating additional weapons at a later stage often requires fresh negotiations, software upgrades, testing, certification, and technical clearances—steps that may increase costs and delay operational deployment.