India has had a few inflection points that quietly, firmly reset how the world reads New Delhi’s intent. Pokhran II in 1998 was one such moment. A three-decade later echo could arrive if the proposal to build 114 Rafales in India moves from paper to production. This is not only a purchase plan.

The recent approval of a ₹62,000 crore order for 97 Tejas Mk 1A fighter jets marks one of the most important milestones in India’s defense modernization journey. For decades, India’s reliance on imported fighters — from the MiG-21s of the Soviet era to the modern Rafales from France — highlighted a persistent gap in indigenous […]