New Delhi: India is planning to buy 26 Rafale maritime fighter jets from France to equip its indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, with deal allowed by the Ministry of Defense during the ongoing two-day visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the country.
Although the modalities and price are yet to be worked out, the deal is expected to be worth around 5 billion euros.
Rafale Marine, also known as Rafale M Selected Following competition with the American fighter F/A 18 Super Hornets. both flight tested shore based test facility in Goa.
A major advantage of the Rafale M was that the aircraft was already in service with the Indian Air Force (IAF), which meant there would be commonality of spares and maintenance, resulting in cost savings.
The Rafale aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force and the Rafale M have almost 80 per cent components in common. The main difference between the two versions of the aircraft is that the nose and main landing gear on the Rafale M have been strengthened to meet the tough aircraft carrier landing and catapulting conditions.
The nose gear of the Rafale M includes “jump strut technology” in the catapult bar and its operating mechanism as well as shock absorbers. According to manufacturer Dassault Aviation, this helps give the aircraft an angle of attack when catapulted.
“The Rafale M is the only non-US type of fighter aircraft approved to operate from the decks of US carriers using their catapults and their restraining gear,” the company said on its website.
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What is Raphael M?
French firm Dassault Aviation’s Rafale M is a single-seat aircraft capable of performing ‘quick response alert’, air defense and air policing missions, nuclear deterrence duties, power launch and deployment for external missions, deep strike missions, air support for ground forces able to do. reconnaissance missions, and pilot training flights.
The wing span of Rafale M is 10.90 metres. In aviation, the wingspan of an aircraft is the distance between the ends of the wings located on either side of it. The wingspan usually determines how large the aircraft is. The length of Rafale M is 15.30 meters and height is 5.30 meters.
Dassault Aviation places the Rafale in the 10-tonne class, with a maximum take-off weight of 24.5 tonnes and an external take-off weight of 9.5 tonnes. Take-off weight refers to the maximum mass at which the aircraft can take off – this component is certified due to structural limitations of the aircraft.
The Rafale M’s “service ceiling” – the altitude at which an aircraft can no longer accelerate faster than 100 feet per minute in standard air conditions – is 50,000 feet.
While the approach speed of the aircraft is less than 120 knots (222.24 km/h), the maximum speed of the aircraft is 750 knots (1,389 km/h).
The Rafale M can undertake air-to-ground attack as well as air-to-air attack and interception during the same flight.
Rafale has the capability to integrate various weapons into its mission system such as the long-range air-to-air missile Meteor, air-to-air ‘Beyond Visual Range’ MICA, HAMMER, long-range stand-off missile SCALP, anti -ship missile AM39 EXOCET, laser-guided warhead with various warheads and seekers, non-guided classic warhead, as well as 2,500 rounds per minute Nexter internal cannon.
Dassault Aviation calls the Rafale an “omnirole aircraft,” meaning it can perform multiple tasks at once, such as firing air-to-air missiles during a very low-altitude entry phase. The fighter’s design makes it relevant against both “conventional and asymmetric threats”.
Rafale fighter jet with French army
The first version of the Rafale aircraft (standard F1) inducted into the French Navy had only air-to-air capability. This version was launched from the Charles de Gaulle nuclear aircraft carrier in 2004 during Operation “Enduring Freedom” in Afghanistan.
The second variant inducted in 2006 brought with it the capability to carry out air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
The Standard F3, the current version, was qualified by the French Ministry of Defense in 2008.
In early 2023, the first standard F4 Rafale fighters were delivered to both the French Air and Space Force and the French Navy. Seven French Air Force and three French Navy units are equipped with the Rafale, according to Dassault Aviation, which calls the fighter “battle-proven”.
Media reports state that following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, French Air and Space Forces Rafale fighter jets, supported by their French Navy counterparts, carried out combat air patrols and prepared at short notice during the winter of 2022–2023 in the Baltic states Kept. ,
(Editing by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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