ANKIT K BHATT
India and France, after amid negotiations and delays, signed a 7.87-billion-euro deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets. Equipped with all modernistic missiles and weapon system, the Rafale, with further modifications demanded by the Indian Air Force, is ready to join its new squadron. As said by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, the Rafale will give IAF “potency” over its rivals and new threats.
The Rafale, being a multi-role combat aircraft, is capable of taking all type of missions simultaneously, both in air and in ground attacks in a single mission. According to the reports, Rafale will be able to perform five missions daily as compared to the three of any other fighter jet (MMRCA). The engine of Rafale can be replaced in 30 minutes as compared to eight hours of the Su-30.
The agreement was signed 16 months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the purchase decision. Each fighter jet costs around 91 million euros for single-seater version and 94 million euros for a double-seater one. After negotiations, the Government was successful in coming up with a 750-million-euro saving over the one which was signed by the UPA Government, which was scrapped by the Modi regime. This is not for the first time the IAF is relying on French-made aircraft. The Mirage 2000, a French-made multi-combat fourth generation aircraft with single engine, is among the planes which the force uses, by upgrading its engines.
‘Scalp’, a long-range air-to-ground cruise missile with a range of 300 km, emphasises its capacity. With around 2m of precision, a target can be hit with high accuracy. According to the Ministry of Defence, the Rafale can perform better than the Su-30; it has a range of 780-1055 km as compared to 400-450 km of the Su-30. The distinctive features of Rafale make it very different from other fifth-generation aircraft, which includes Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile with a range of 150 km, making it a cause for rivals to worry. With the coming of Rafale, the balance of air power will get tilted in India’s favour when compared with Pakistan.
The Rafale, being a multi-role combat aircraft, is capable of taking all type of missions simultaneously, both in air and in ground attacks in a single mission. According to the reports, Rafale will be able to perform five missions daily as compared to the three of any other fighter jet (MMRCA). The engine of Rafale can be replaced in 30 minutes as compared to eight hours of the Su-30.
The Rafale deal will eventually boast Prime Minister Modi’s Make in India campaign. With the deal, Dassault Aviation has made an initiative for Make in India campaign promising to open manufacturing centres in India if more aircraft are shortlisted for a bigger order. According to the Dassault chief, the focus is to build an industrial partnership in India for Rafale jets for which the 50 per cent offset clause, will be of help.
India originally wanted 126 of the MMRCA which was initially short listed by the Defence Ministry, but could not come up with an agreement over the cost. This had led to delays. The tough negotiations by the MoD-IAF team extracted many concessions and discounts from the French side before a price was finalised. The other concessions gained through tough negotiations included free training for 10 IAF personnel, including three pilots, beside additional guarantee of 60 hours of usage of training aircraft for Indian pilots and six months of free storage for weapons without charge.
The Rafale entered service with the French Navy in 2004 and with its Air Force in 2006. Nations including Egypt and Qatar have placed orders for this fighter plane to boost their air power.