Indian Air Force (IAF) formally inducted five Rafale fighter jets into its 17 Squadron known as the 'Golden Arrows', at the Ambala airbase in Haryana on September 10, 2020. The event was held in the presence of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the French Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parly as chief guests. The first batch of five Rafale jets had arrived at the Ambala airbase on July 29. With the arrival of the second batch of Rafale, the IAF now has 8 such aircraft in their inventory. The fighter jets have already been operationalized and have been deployed to the conflict zone of Eastern Ladakh. India had signed a deal with France for acquiring 36 Rafale jets. France will deliver the remaining 28 aircraft to India by mid-2022. Rajnath Singh has termed the deal as a ‘game-changer’ for IAF. Here are 10 reasons why Rafale is considered as the ‘game-changer’ for the Indian Air Force:
The Rafale fighter jet is a 4.5 Generation fighter jet. It is powered by two SNECMA M88 engines, each providing a thrust of 75 kN.
Rafale can reach almost double the speed of sound with a top speed of 1.8 Mach. The fighter is also capable of “buddy-buddy” refueling missions mid-air in the absence of dedicated tanker aircraft.
Rafale’s electronic warfare system, Spectra incorporates solid-state transmitter technology, a DAL laser warning receiver, missile warning, detection systems and jammers.
Rafale’s cockpit has been equipped with a holographic display from Thales Avionique. The head-up, wide-angle holographic display manages the aircraft control data, mission data and firing cues.
METEOR Missiles: IAF’s lack of beyond visual range (BVR) missiles gave Pakistani F-16s an edge over the Indian Su-30MKI and Mig-21Bis that was being flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan during the dogfight on February 27, 2019. Rafale’s 190 kg Meteor missile has a BVR of over 100 km, which is way more than AMRAAM missiles used by the Pakistani F-16s. The Meteor missiles not only bridge the gap but also extend a clear edge to IAF as far as air superiority in this region is concerned.
SCALP Missiles: Rafale comes with this air-to-ground cruise missile which has a range of over 300 km. The missile is designed to hit long-range, highly protected targets deep inside enemy territory.
HAMMER Missiles: Highly Agile and Manoeuvrable Munition Extended Range missile, abbreviated to HAMMER, can be used to target hardened bunkers within a range of 70 km.
The Rafale has a twin-gun pod and a Nexter (formerly Giat) 30mm DEFA 791B cannon, which can fire 2,500 rounds a minute.
Combat Proven: Rafale jets are deployed with the French Air Force and Navy for the last 14 years. The fighter aircraft has shown its capability during missions in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Mali and the Central African Republic.
Omnirole aircraft: Equipped with a range of advanced weapons system, the Rafale can perform a variety of functions such as- aerial reconnaissance, electronic warfare, anti-ship strike, ground support, and in-depth strike. These multi-role capabilities of Rafale make IAF air-superior.
