The defence ministry recently approved India’s plans to procure 26 Rafale Marine fighter aircraft and three additional Scorpene submarines from France in an estimated 10 billion euro (Rs 91,000 crore) deal.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared the proposals shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for his official visit to France.
According to the plan, the Navy will procure 22 single-seat Rafale M and four trainer aircraft to arm its indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
This deal, valued at an estimated 5 billion euros (Rs 45,000 crore), will include weapons packages, besides the cost of training and infrastructure. The deal comes at a crucial time when the Navy does not have enough fighters to operate from two aircraft carriers.
WHAT IS RAFALE M?
- Rafale Marine fighters are the naval version of the Rafale jets, with the Indian Air Force operating 36 of them.
- Manufactured by Dassault Aviation, the Rafales are advanced twin-engine, multirole fighter jets equipped with modern sensors, radar, and the latest weapon systems.
- French firm Dassault Aviation’s Rafale M is a single-seat aircraft capable of undertaking ‘quick reaction alert’, air defence and air policing missions, nuclear deterrence duties, power projection and deployments for external missions, deep strike missions, air support for ground forces, reconnaissance missions, and pilot training sorties.
- The Rafale M has a wing span of 10.90 metres. In aircraft, the wing span of an aircraft is the distance between its two wingtips situated on both sides. The wingspan generally determines how big the aircraft is. Rafale M has a length of 15.30 metres and a height of 5.30 metres.
- Dassault Aviation places Rafale in the 10-tonne class, with a maximum take-off weight of 24.5 tonnes and an external load of 9.5 tonnes. The take-off weight refers to the maximum mass at which the aircraft can take off — this component is certified due to the structural limits of the aircraft.
- The “service ceiling” of Rafale M — the altitude at which an aircraft can no longer rise faster than 100 feet per minute under standard air conditions — stands at 50,000 feet.
- While the approach speed of the aircraft is less than 120 knots (222.24 km per hour), the maximum speed of the aircraft is 750 knots (1,389 kmph).
- The Rafale M can carry out air-to-ground strikes as well as air-to-air attacks and interceptions during the same sortie.
The Rafale Marine jets, with their advanced features and expanded weapon capabilities, will strengthen the Navy’s deck-based fighter fleet. This procurement decision marks another step towards bolstering India’s defense preparedness and self-reliance in defense manufacturing.
