RAFALES TO BOOST INDIA'S AIR POWER

 

RAFALES TO BOOST INDIA'S AIR POWER

         

 Nikunja BIhari Sahu

 

         The acquisition of 5 Rafale aircrafts by India from France would give the country the much needed air superiority over the neighbours like China and Pakistan. Rafale, a multi-role combat aircraft manufactured by the Dassault Aviation Company of France, is capable of carrying out a wide range of short and long-range missions outshining the existing aircrafts of the rivals. According to sources, the air-to-air and the air-to-ground strike capabilities of Rafales cannot be matched by either China or Pakistan and, hence, the aircraft would give India an edge over both the neighbours. The long combat range capability with mid-air refueling, deadly stock of weapons and powerful electronic warfare system are some of the hallmarks of the aircraft which would remain as point of worry for the enemies.

              The two formidable aircrafts in our region are the Pakistan's F-16 and China's J-20. The fourth generation F-16 aircrafts, developed by the General Dynamics Company of USA, is primarily feared for its potential combat role, outstanding   maneuverability capability  and ability to locate targets in all weather conditions, including non-visual conditions and strike accuracy. However, Rafale can outperform F16 in many of the combat roles. The 190-kg Meteor missile of Rafale  has a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) of over 100 km  in contrast to the  75 km  BVR of  the AMRAAM missile of F-16. In a dogfight between Rafale and F-16, Rafale has an edge since it can load more weapons than F-16s. It needs almost two F16s to counter a single Rafale!

          Similarly, China’s Chengdu J-20 aircrafts are claimed to be fifth-generation combat jets compared to the 4.5 generation Rafale and has additional stealth capabilities. However, the J-20s have no actual combat experience in past while Rafale has been used successfully by the French Air Force in numerous   missions in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali. Rafale can also carry more fuel and weapons than the J-20. Moreover, unlike J 20 , Rafale can carry out at least four missions in a single  sortie .

        Rafale is known primarily for its long range strike capability and advanced arsenal of weapon systems. A Rafale fighter jet with full fuel tank and fully loaded combat weapons can travel up to 3,200-3,700 km and, hence, has access to many targets deep inside China. On the other hand, the  METEOR beyond visual range air-to-air missile and the SCALP air-to-ground cruise missile which are the mainstay of the weapons package of Rafale, would prove to be decisive in any aerial warfare .

       This weapons package of Rafale outguns weapons systems of all other aircrafts in the region. SCALP has a range of much over 300 km, which means that for a  Balakot type operation, Indian jets would not need to cross LoC and could simply  conduct the strike from very much  within Indian airspace. The METEOR missile, on the other hand, can take on enemy aircrafts at a range of over 100 km. It has a No Escape Zone of over 60 km and, hence, the missile easily outclasses any other missile of such class in the region.

      Thus the Rafale platforms will significantly bolster India's air combat capabilities in facing hostile neighbours in days to come. According to experts,   Rafales could be game-changers for India when all the 36 jets are inducted.

      However the cost factor of the deal is somewhat alarming! According to the inter-governmental agreement signed with France in September, 2016 the cost for the procurement of the fleet of 36 Rafale jets is a whooping  Rs 58,000 crore which is nearly 0.4%  of India's GDP. Some argues that the money could have been diverted to other public welfare sectors like health and education for a developing country like India. However, the security of the country can never be compromised as echoed by our Prime Minister while welcoming the fleet that there could be no greater virtue than protecting the motherland.

                 It is worth to mention that most of our present fighter aircrafts like Mirage, Sukhoi, MIG, Jaguar etc are imported ones and, India has not been able to produce any world class combat aircrafts so far apart from Tejas. Tejas, a fourth generation aircraft developed by HAL, is primarily meant to replace the ageing MIG-21 fleet of Russian origin and is handicapped by delay in production and delivery. Hence, we have to quickly revisit our aviation technology and come up with indigenous world class combat platforms to make our dream come true for an Atmanirbhar Bharat. This would eventually usher in the building of a vibrant domestic aerospace industry capable of delivering state-of-the-art products with commercial designs for capturing the global market.

 

 

            

                                                                         Education Officer

                                                                   Regional Science Centre

                                                                              Bhopal