India and France signed a long pending contract to acquire 36 Rafale fighters by India, ending a four year old negotiations between the ...
India and France signed a long pending contract to acquire 36 Rafale fighters by India, ending a four year old negotiations between the two sides.
The inter-governmental deal for 28 single-seat and 8 twin-seat fighters worth 7.87 billion dollars also include weapons, spares, support equipment and Performance Based Logistics (PBL) support contract for five years.
These advanced multi-role fighters along the with 272 Sukhoi Su-30MKI will form Indian Air Force's core fighting fleet.
India was the first foreign customer for the French Dassault built Rafale, when its was selected in 2012. Negotiations took so long that the earlier requirement to acquire 126 fighters was reduced to 36 in a surprise move by the Modi government in April 2015.
Later Egypt became the first export customer in 2015, followed by Qatar, both acquiring 24 fighters each.
The multi-role capable fighter can carry out air defence, interception, ground support, deep strikes, reconnaissance, anti-ship strikes and nuclear deterrence missions.
The first Indian Rafale will arrive in 2019, and delivery is scheduled to be completed by 2023.
Eventhough the aircraft is being acquired in a fly-away condition, which is a major blow the Modi government's "Make In India" rhetoric, France has to invest 50 percent of the deal back in India in the aerospace sector to develop domestic capabilities.
The Naval variant capable of carrier operation designated Rafale M was the first to enter service with French Navy in 2004, followed by Rafale with French Air Force in 2006.
The combat proven fighter was deployed by France in its operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq and Syria.
Rafale features a delta wing with close-coupled canards. The quadruple redundant advanced digital “Fly-by-Wire” (FBW) Flight Control System (FCS) provides for longitudinal stability and superior handling performance.
Prime sensor of the Rafale is the the RBE2 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar developed by Thales. The Front Sector Optronics” (FSO) system which is fully integrated into the aircraft, is immune to radar jamming and provides covert long-range detection and identification, high resolution angular tracking and laser range-finding for air, sea and ground targets.
The Spectra internal “Electronic Warfare” (EW) system jointly developed by Thales and MBDA is the cornerstone of the Rafale's outstanding survivability against the latest airborne and ground threats.
The DAMOCLES laser designator pod designed by Thales, brings full day and night laser designation capability, with metric precision. It permits laser-guided weapons to be delivered at stand-off range and altitude.
With its 10-tonne empty weight, the Rafale is fitted with 14 hard points (13 on the RAFALE M). Five of them are capable of drop tanks and heavy ordnance. Total external load capacity is more than nine tonnes (20,000 lbs.).
Along with advanced weapons like MICA short range missile, Exocet anti ship missile, and Hammer precision guided munitions, Indian Rafales will also be equipped with the MBDA Meteor long range air to air missile and the SCALP long-range stand-off missile.
Powering the the Rafale is two Safran M88-2 turbofan engines rated at 10,971 lbs dry and 16,620 lbs with afterburner. It is equipped with redundant “Full Authority Digital Engine Control” (FADEC), which provides for carefree engine handling anywhere in the flight envelope.
The throttle can be slammed from combat power to idle and back to combat power again, with less than three seconds from idle to full afterburner.
As of 30 June 2016, 152 Rafale aircraft had been delivered to French and Egyptian armed forces.
