What does the documentary evidence say?
A recent Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by the Indian Air Force may provide the clearest answer yet. The Air Force has invited bids for a bridge support package covering all 36 Rafale fighter aircraft acquired by India from France. The tender seeks maintenance, logistics and technical support for the entire fleet until a long-term support arrangement is put in place.
The significance lies in a simple fact. India purchased 36 Rafale fighter jets under its government-to-government agreement with France, and all 36 had been delivered to the Indian Air Force. The latest maintenance tender continues to refer to support requirements for all 36 aircraft.
Beyond the Claims: What an Indian Air Force Tender for 36 Rafales Tells Us
For months following Operation Sindoor, claims and counterclaims dominated discussions surrounding India's Rafale fighter aircraft.
Pakistan repeatedly asserted that several Rafales had been shot down during the operation. These claims were amplified across social media and became the subject of political debate within India, with opposition leaders questioning the government over the alleged losses. Amid competing narratives, one question remained unanswered:
A recently issued Indian Air Force maintenance tender covering all 36 Rafale fighter aircraft offers one of the clearest pieces of publicly available documentary evidence regarding the status of India's Rafale fleet after Operation Sindoor.
By Abhinav Mudaliar
Chief Analyst, The Centre
25 June 2026 • 08:15 PM IST • 6 min read
A maintenance tender is not a political statement. It is an operational document prepared to ensure that aircraft remain serviceable and mission-ready. Such documents are created for administrative and logistical purposes, not for public messaging.
Based on the publicly available record, the Indian Air Force is planning maintenance support for a fleet of 36 Rafale fighters. That fact carries important implications.
For months, Pakistan maintained that multiple Rafales had been destroyed during Operation Sindoor. Questions were also raised in India's domestic political discourse regarding the status of the Rafale fleet.
The newly issued Air Force tender does not support those claims. On the contrary, it indicates maintenance planning for the full complement of 36 aircraft.
This does not require political interpretation. It requires only reading the document. In an era increasingly shaped by information warfare, official procurement records, maintenance contracts and logistics documents often provide stronger evidence than competing political narratives.
Sometimes, the most important answers do not come from press conferences or television debates. They come from routine government paperwork. And in this case, an Indian Air Force maintenance tender may have done more to clarify the Rafale debate than months of speculation.
