Divya Delhi: India and France agreed to buy 26 Rafale Marine aircraft for the Indian Navy for Rs 63,000 crore on April 28. The Indian Navy will receive 25 Rafale-Marine (Rafale-M) fighters from this arrangement. This acquisition will cost roughly Rs 63,000 crore. The two parties signed the intergovernmental agreement with Defence Secretary RK Singh and Navy Vice Chief Vice Admiral K Swaminathan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet Committee on Security accepted the arrangement in early April. Twenty-two single-seat Rafale-M combat aircraft and four twin-seat training aircraft without carrier operations are included in the agreement. The jets will be delivered between 2028 and 2029, media reports said. By 2032, the jets should be introduced. The Rafale-M package includes armament systems, supplies, training, and logistical equipment. These defense systems will be purchased through an IGA. The Rafale-M deal is timely since the Navy must replace aged MiG-29K planes. Before the indigenous Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter is produced, the Indian Navy would launch from INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant with newly developed aircraft.