New Delhi: India and France have signed the much-awaited Rafale deal for 36 fighter jets worth 7.8 billion euros or about Rs 58,000 crore. This is India's first fighter jet deal in 36 years.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart Jean Yves LeDrian signed the agreement in Delhi today.
The deliveries of fighter jets will start in 36 months. India will pay about Rs. 58,000 crore or 7.8 billion Euros for 36 off-the-shelf Dassault Rafale twin-engine fighters. About 15 per cent of this cost is being paid in advance.
India will also get spares and weaponry, including the Meteor missile, considered among the most advanced in the world.
Sources tracking the final negotiations had confirmed to NDTV that the IAF's Rafales will come equipped with the Meteor designed to knock out enemy aircraft and cruise missiles significantly more than 100 km away.
The acquisition of this weapon is likely to be game changer in South Asia. Neither Pakistan nor China, India's traditional military adversaries, possess a weapon of the same class.
The first Rafale warplanes are slated to be delivered roughly within 18 months of the signing of the final contract.
There is an accompanying offset clause through which France will invest 30 per cent of the 7.8 billion Euros in India's military aeronautics-related research programmes and 20 percent into local production of Rafale components.
The deal could not be signed this January when French President Francois Hollande was the Chief Guest for the Republic Day because India wanted a better price.
For the Indian Air Force, the deal is bitter-sweet. On one hand, they will be getting two squadrons of the state-of-the-art fighter, on the other hand, the original requirement was for at least 126 jets.
India needs at least 42 squadrons of fighters and has an existing strength of 32. The fighter fleet will go down further by about 10 squadrons as the MiG-21 fighter will have to be decommissioned.
Rafale - The story in detail
- India's squadrons of modern, versatile fighters are depleting. As against 44 squadrons once, India now has 34 with older planes like MiG21s and MiG27s, making up for the many squadrons.
- Since 2007, India began testing Swedish Grippen, American F16 and F18, Russian MiG35, Eurofighter Typhoon and French Rafale in its bid to buy 126 fighters.
- By January 2012, bids opened. India went for French Rafale over Eurofighter Typhoon. Negotiations pursued for 126 planes, out of which 18 were to be made in France, the rest in India.
- Deadlock over multiple issues, including French firm Dassault refusing to take ownership of Rafale, which is being built in India among other things.
- In April 2015, during PM Modi's visit to France, he announced a deal to directly buy 36 Rafale made-in-France planes from France. PM Modi said the terms would be much cheaper than earlier.
- Separate teams were formed and negotiations began once again.
- Deadlines were missed thrice, first during Hollande's visit as the chief guest for R-Day parade, then a few weeks later and again when in May, Parrikar said the deal would shape up by June 2016.
- Once the CCS clears the deal, signing of the same will subsequently take place at a later date. From the date of signing, within approximately three years, the Rafale will start flying with the IAF.
- What one needs to be watch out for is the final price, delivery schedule and weapons package.
Why dose IAF want Rafale?Rafale is a multi-purpose medium fighter, procurement of which will help India adequately boost itself in a particular category where it is particularly weak. India has light fighters in the form of MiG21 and now Tejas.
India has heavy fighter in the form of Sukhoi30 MKI plane but absolutely nothing which is contemporary in the medium segment. To put it simply, using a Sukhoi 30 to take on Pakistan's F16 would be like using a tank to kill one soldier! A rifle will suffice to do that job.
What makes the Rafale the IAF's choise
- It is in use by French Air Force and Navy.
- The first Rafale became operational on French aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle in 2004 during Operation Enduring Freedom (war in Afghanistan)
- As many as 132 Rafale aircraft ordered by French Air Force, 48 by French Navy. Egypt and Qatar have sought 24 Rafale jets and the next in line is India's order for 36.
- French forces have used Rafale in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Central African Republic and Iraq, apart from local air defence in France.
- Can carry out roles like air defence, reconnaissance, nuclear deterrence, anti-ship, air-to-ground, and air superiority.
- Rafale was built when the French Navy and Air Force wanted the capabilities of seven types of combat aircraft in one.
- Has an Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, Front Sector Optronics (FSO), SPECTRA suite - implying it can track multiple targets and longer ranges even when jammers are active.
- Rafale fighter jet can do data sharing and day-and-night operations with precision.
- Yet to see which weapons India seeks, but Rafale maker can offer MICA Beyond Visual Range missile, air-to-ground HAMMER,SCALP missile AM39 EXOCET anti-ship missile, laser guided bombs.
- Unlike other planes, which need a dedicated tanker plane to refuel mid-air, two RAFALEs can share fuel mid-air for limited periods.
- As many as 14 hard points on the RAFALE body means it can carry a large number of weapons, more than nine tonnes of external load on the plane.
- Rafale is built upon the highly successful MIRAGE 2000 plane, which IAF has extensively used, even in the Kargil war.
RAFALE SPECIFICATIONS
- Wing span 10.9m
- Length 15.3m
- Empty weight 10 tonnes
- Maximum take-off weight 24.5 tonnes
- Can fly up to 50,000 feet
- Can land in a 450-metre long runway
