The Defense Acquisition Council on Thursday approved the proposal to buy 26 Rafale-M fighter aircraft for the Indian Navy. These include 22 single-seated Rafale marine aircraft, and four twin-seater trainer versions.

Also, three additional Scopene class submarines will also be bought for the Indian Navy. The deals are expected to be worth around Rs 90,000 crore.

The deal is likely to be signed between India and France as PM Narendra Modi visits France.These planes will be used by the Indian Navy on the INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, which currently employ the MiG-29. This will be the second such fighter jet purchase from the French aerospace major Dassault Aviation in recent years.

The proposals were approved in a meeting attended by Defence Minister Rajanth Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan and the three service chiefs and senior officials, reported news agency ANI.

The Indian Navy has been facing a scarcity of aircraft and submarines for the last few years. Previously, it had stressed on meeting its requirements urgently.