Just days after Serbia revealed a €2.7 billion ($2.9 billion) deal to buy Dassault Aviation’s Rafale twin-engine fighter jets, India is now moving to fast-track its own purchase of the French aircraft.
India has decided to drop the plan to equip the Rafale jets with locally-made radar systems. New Delhi is planning to acquire 26 Rafale-M jets, the naval attack variant, for deployment on its aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. The deal is valued at over Rs 50,000 crore.
INS Vikrant, the Indian Navy’s fourth aircraft carrier and the first built domestically, has already carried out take-offs and landings with the Russian-made MiG-29K and the Indian-made HAL Tejas Naval.
India’s decision to purchase 26 Rafale-M fighter jets from France highlights its growing focus on boosting naval air strength.
Designed for carrier-based missions, these advanced jets will greatly improve the Indian Navy’s operational abilities, providing a major boost to maritime defense, according to Bulgarian Military.
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The choice of the Rafale-M followed years of evaluation, during which several options, including Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet, were considered to replace the aging MiG-29Ks.
India is already familiar with the Dassault Rafale, as the Indian Air Force currently operates 36 of them, which include 27 single-seat and 8 twin-seat versions. The fighter jets are flown by the 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’ and the 101 Squadron ‘Falcons’.
How is Rafale-M different from IAF’s Rafale fleet?
France finished delivering all 36 Rafale jets to the Indian Air Force (IAF) by December 2022. India placed an order for the fighter jets from France in September 2016 through a government-to-government agreement worth Rs 65,920 crore.
India plans to acquire 22 single-seater Rafale-M jets and four twin-seater trainer versions. These aircraft are expected to be stationed at Visakhapatnam, where INS Vikrant is based.
India chose the Rafale M for its navy instead of the American-made Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet.
One benefit of choosing the Rafale M is that it shares many parts with the IAF’s Rafale jets. This similarity can help lower costs for spare parts and maintenance.
According to Dassault Aviation, the maker of the aircraft, the Air Force’s single-seat Rafale C, two-seat Rafale B, and the Navy’s single-seat Rafale M share a highly similar design and equipment, as well as comparable mission capabilities.
The IAF version and the Rafale M have around 80 per cent of their components in common.
All Rafale models are part of the 4+ generation of fighter jets. This means they are equipped with advanced avionics and some features similar to those found in fifth-generation aircraft.
The Rafale M jets being considered for the navy in this new deal will still have a few important differences compared to the IAF’s version of the Rafale.
The Rafale M is a single-seat jet designed to handle various missions, such as deep strikes, air defense, and reconnaissance.
Similar to the IAF version, the Rafale M is called an “omnirole aircraft” by Dassault Aviation, meaning it can carry out both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions at the same time.
What are the salient features of Rafale M?
The Rafale M is specifically built to operate from aircraft carriers. This is achievable due to several modifications, such as a reinforced undercarriage, stronger landing gears, and an extended, reinforced (oe longer and Strengthened) nose.
The Rafale M has a strengthened undercarriage that helps it manage the intense pressure of landing on an aircraft carrier’s deck.
The Rafale M is equipped with a tail hook for stopping during arrested landings, and it has a “jump strut” on the nosewheel that extends only during short takeoffs, such as when the plane is launched from a catapult.
A “jump strut” is a special part of the aircraft’s nosewheel that temporarily extends during short takeoffs, helping the plane lift off more easily, especially when launched by a catapult.
The Rafale M comes with a built-in ladder, making it easy for the pilot to climb into the cockpit from the carrier deck. It also has a landing system designed for carrier operations.
Although the Rafale-M lacks foldable wings, Dassault agreed to modify the design, such as adjusting the aircraft’s pylon structure, to make it fit for the Vikrant. These changes helped it meet the Navy’s technical requirements.
The pylon structure refers to the part of the aircraft that holds weapons or fuel tanks. In simple terms, it’s where external equipment is attached to the plane for missions.
Because of these design changes, the Rafale M is a bit heavier compared to the Air Force version of the Rafale.
What are Rafale M’s other similarities with IAF variant?
Both the IAF’s Rafales and the latest version of the Rafale M come with the RBE2 AESA radar, developed by Thales. However, the Rafale M’s radar is specially tuned for maritime missions.
Both models also share the same Thales SPECTRA electronic warfare system, but on the Rafale M, it is optimized for operations at sea.
The Rafale M includes an updated system that allows its inertial navigation system to connect and sync with external equipment.
Both the Air Force variant and the Rafale M can carry a range of weapons, including the long-range Meteor and MICA air-to-air missiles, HAMMER air-to-surface weapon, SCALP long-range missile, AM39 EXOCET anti-ship missile, and laser-guided bombs.
Is Rafale M capable of operating from Indian aircraft carriers?
The Rafale M was initially designed to operate from aircraft carriers equipped with the CATOBAR system.
CATOBAR stands for catapult-assisted take-off and barrier-arrested recovery. This system uses catapults to launch aircraft from the carrier and arrestor wires to help them land.
France operates the Rafale M from its sole aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, which uses the CATOBAR system for launching and landing aircraft.
The Indian Navy operates two 45,000-tonne aircraft carriers, the INS Vikramaditya and the INS Vikrant. Both carriers are conventionally powered and use ski-jump ramps to help aircraft take off.
The challenge has been resolved, as the Rafale M has successfully shown it can perform a ski-jump takeoff from the shore-based test facility (SBTF) at INS Hansa in Goa. The Indian Navy shortlisted the Rafale M after thorough testing at the SBTF facility in Goa.