India rafale, a stealth aircraft of 4.5 generations that can be used for a variety of missions, is available. This powerful fighter jet can also be used for carrying a range weapons like the MBDA Meteor beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air missile, Scalp cruise missile, and MICA weapons.
It can be used in a variety of roles, including air defense, ground attack, carrier strike and even aircraft maintenance. It can detect enemy aircraft up to a very close range thanks to its advanced radar and electronic warfare system.
The aircraft has an average service life of 20 years and is very affordable in terms of maintenance. It's a 4.5 generation aircraft capable of carrying long-range aerial-to-air or air-toground missiles as well advanced radar, electronic warfare, and other capabilities.
Rafale-M is being used in many countries. France, for example has installed the Rafale-M aboard its Charles de Galle aircraft carrier. Egypt also has purchased a number.
Indian military officials were impressed with the French-made Rafale. The Rafale has already been inducted into IAF and deployed to Ladakh for support in the country’s battle against China. It is expected to play an important role in the conflict between both nations.
Former IAF chief BS Dhanoa praised Rafale as a "gamechanger." 36 Rafale will be purchased by the IAF from French company Dassault Aviation. Dhanoa stated that it has flown the aircraft in operation and is happy with the performance, during an interview with Hindustan Times.
It will replace the IAF's ageing Mirage-2000 multirole aircraft Tejas and Mirage-2000. Dhanoa revealed that the cost of the jet is estimated at Rs 60,000 crore. The service life could be up to 30 year.
IAF is also looking for a marine version to mount on its aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. Dassault Aviation presented a model for its naval variant at the Aero India 2023, Bengaluru.
India's air force needs a modernized fleet to counter China's growing power. It also needs to keep its borders secure. Its current fleet consists of 30 Tejas Mark 1(multirole), 51 Mirage2000s, 99 SEPECAT Jaguars, and 36 Rafale fighter jets for air defense and ground attack.
It is still looking for a ship-borne aircraft capable of matching the Chinese jets. The IAF is also looking at the F/A-18 Super Hornet from the USA, which it can deploy on an aircraft carrier.
A Chinese Communist Party propaganda website said earlier this week the Indian jets had no chance against China's J-20 stealth plane. It was an inflamatory stance that experts from the Indian military have denied.
In an article published on the Global Times website, a Chinese military expert claimed that the Rafale fighters were only one-fourth of a generation ahead of China's J-20 and did not yield a significant qualitative change.
The Rafale, which India had ordered for over eight billion Euros, triggered a firestorm in India with opposition politicians alleging bribes exchanged hands to clinch the deal behind closed doors. The Supreme Court ruled the deal valid and rejected review petitions in November 2019.