India, Feb. 13 -- India has approved a massive proposal worth 3.25 lakh crore to procure 114 Rafale fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF), marking the largest defence acquisition in the country's history.

The clearance was granted by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, which accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to the programme. The decision comes ahead of the upcoming official visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to New Delhi.

According to sources, the proposal the purchase of 114 Rafale fighter jets from France. Of these, 18 aircraft will be acquired in a fly-away condition from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, while the remaining 96 jets will be manufactured in I...