Tejas MK-II Vs Rafale: The $24.5 Billion Decision That Could Double India’s Fighter Fleet – Analysis

Girish Linganna

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The Bottom Line: For the same $24.5 billion (₹2,15,600 crore) budget, India can get 250 Tejas MKII aircraft (12-13 squadrons) instead of just 114 Rafales (6 squadrons). This isn’t just about numbers – it’s about building a self-reliant defense ecosystem that will serve India for decades.

India faces a defining moment in its aerospace journey. The Indian Air Force operates with only 31 fighter squadrons against an approved strength of 42 squadrons, creating an alarming capability gap that threatens national security. While the government has launched the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) program to acquire 114 foreign jets at a massive cost of $24.5 billion (₹2,15,600 crore), a far more strategic and economically sound path exists: dramatically scaling up the indigenous Tejas MKII program.

The mathematical reality is overwhelming. Each Rafale aircraft, if manufactured in India under Make in India, will cost approximately $1.5 billion (₹1,320 crore). The indigenously developed Tejas MKII carries an estimated unit cost of $70-80 million (₹616-704 crore). This means India can procure nearly twenty Tejas MKII aircraft for every single Rafale. With the allocated $24.5 billion (₹2,15,600 crore) budget, India could acquire approximately 250 Tejas MKII aircraft, forming 12-13 complete squadrons compared to just 6 squadrons of Rafales. This would not only eliminate the current squadron shortfall but provide a strategic surplus to counter threats from both Pakistan and China.

India’s Radar Technology Breakthrough

The Tejas MKII will achieve something remarkable – technological superiority over the Rafale in critical areas. The most significant advantage lies in radar technology, where India has made an extraordinary leap forward. The Tejas MKII will be equipped with the indigenous Uttam AESA radar featuring 912 Transmit/Receive Modules based on cutting-edge Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology. This surpasses the Rafale’s Thales RBE2 AESA radar, which uses older Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) technology with only 838 TRMs.