The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 9 approved a nearly Rs 63,000-crore (approx $7.5B) deal to procure 26 Rafale-M fighter jets from France for the Indian Navy. The contract is expected to be concluded later this month.
It includes 22 single-seater jets that can operate from aircraft carriers and four twin-seater trainer jets, which are not carrier-compatible. The deal also includes weapons, a simulator, spares, associated ancillary equipment, crew training, and logistics support for the Navy.
This will include India-specific add-ons such as establishing a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) hub, integrating India’s own Astra missile, and sourcing from local suppliers. The delivery of the jets will begin three and a half years after the contract is signed and is expected to be completed in about six and a half years. The entire fleet is anticipated to be with the Navy by 2031.
The Indian Navy’s Rafale M deal will also include several upgrades to the IAF’s Rafale fleet. Under the deal, 10 of the 36 Rafales will be upgraded to allow buddy-buddy refueling, enhancing the Air Force’s operational range.
Other improvements include ground-based equipment for operational support, software upgrades, advanced weapon systems and sensor suites, and 40 long-range drop tanks.
The Defense Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded initial approval for the procurement of 26 Rafale-M fighters back in July 2023. The Rafale-M purchase is one of the biggest military orders placed by the country, second only to 97 Tejas Mark1A jets for Rs 65,000 crore. The Indian Air Force (IAF) purchased 36 Rafales for Rs 59,000 crore in 2016.
These fighters will be deployed on INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, and will complement the Navy’s existing fleet of Russian-origin MiG-29K jets. Rafale-M is capable of carrying Scalp-EG, a 650-km-range missile.
The aircraft will expand the Navy’s arc of offensive operations at sea and add new capabilities, such as long-range precision-strike missiles to hit ships and air targets. The Rafale-M jets can also be deployed to IAF bases along the northern borders to bolster the IAF fleet of 36 Rafale.
Rafale-M Aircraft
The Rafale was developed as a modern jet fighter with a very high level of agility. It has a delta wing with an active close-coupled canard and uses digital fly-by-wire flight controls to maximize maneuverability. The Rafale has sufficient low-speed performance to operate from STOBAR-configured aircraft carriers and can take off using a ski jump with no modifications.
The Rafale M features a greatly reinforced undercarriage to cope with the additional stresses of naval landings, an arrestor hook, and a “jump strut” nose wheel that only extends during short take-offs, including catapult launches. It also features a built-in ladder, carrier-based microwave landing system, and the new fin-tip Telemir system for syncing the inertial navigation system to external equipment.
The naval modifications of the Rafale M increase its weight by 500 kilograms compared to other variants. However, the Rafale M retains about 95 percent commonality with Air Force variants, including, although unusual for carrier-based aircraft, the inability to fold its multi-spar wings to reduce storage space.
The size constraints were offset by the introduction of Charles de Gaulle, France’s first nuclear-powered carrier, which was considerably larger than previous carriers.
Although not a full-aspect stealth aircraft, the cost of which was viewed as unacceptably excessive, the Rafale was designed for a reduced radar cross-section (RCS) and infrared signature.
To reduce the RCS, changes from the initial technology demonstrator include reducing the size of the tail fin, reshaping the fuselage, repositioning the engine air inlets underneath the aircraft’s wing, and extensive use of composite materials and serrated patterns for the construction of the trailing edges of the wings and canards. Seventy percent of the Rafale’s surface area is composite.
Rafale M With French Navy
The French Naval Aviation (Aéronavale), the air arm of the French Navy, inducted Rafale M in December 2000. After almost four years of training, the Rafale M was declared operational with the French Navy in June 2004. The aircraft is fully compatible with United States Navy aircraft carriers, and some French Navy pilots have qualified to fly it from US Navy flight decks.
In 2002, they were first deployed to a combat zone. Seven Rafale Ms embarked aboard Charles de Gaulle of the French Navy during “Mission Héraclès,” the French participation in “Operation Enduring Freedom.” They flew from the aircraft carrier over Afghanistan, but the F1 standard precluded air-to-ground missions, and the Rafale did not see any action.
In March 2002, the aircraft carrier was stationed in the Gulf of Oman, where its complement of Rafale undertook training operations. In June 2002, Rafale conducted several patrols while Charles de Gaulle was in the Arabian Sea. In 2016, Rafale, operating from Charles de Gaulle, struck targets associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (IS).
Operation Chesapeake, a test of this interoperability, was conducted in May 2018. Twelve Rafale, along with nearly 350 support personnel, embarked aboard USS George H.W. Bush for two weeks of carrier qualifications and exercises.
On January 9, 2025, Rafale M conducted joint anti-aircraft drills with the Indian Air Force’s Su-30MKI and Jaguar aircraft.
IAF Rafale
The Rafale was the winner among the six aircraft competing in the Indian MRCA competition for 126 multi-role fighters. 18 Rafales were to join in flyaway condition, and the remaining were to be built in India by HAL.
The deal stalled due to disagreements over the technicalities of local production. Finally, it was decided to buy 36 flyaway Rafales in a G2G deal worth €7.8 billion (Rs 59,000 crore at that time). Around August 2017, India had reportedly considered ordering 36 more Rafale amid tensions with China. All 36 Rafales had been inducted into the IAF by April 2022.
IAF Rafales have since participated in the Red Flag (Alaska 2024) exercise and in exercises with the Hellenic Air Force and the Egyptian Air Force. In August-September 2024, they took part in Exercise “Tarang Shakti.”
IAF’s MRFA
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is pursuing the MRFA (Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft) program to acquire 114 advanced fighter jets. The program aims to bolster its dwindling squadron strength and modernize its fleet, with a focus on both foreign acquisition and domestic manufacturing.
The IAF is currently at a low of 31 fighter squadrons, and numbers could reduce further if LCA production is not hastened considerably and additional foreign aircraft are not bought.
As many as eight aircraft responded to the RFI. These include the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Boeing F-15EX Eagle II, Lockheed Martin F-21 (a variant of F-16V with 14 India-specific customizations), Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab JAS-39 Gripen E/F, Mikoyan MiG-35, and Sukhoi Su-35.
The Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) has yet to be cleared. Therefore, CCS clearance has not been accorded, and the Request for Proposal (RFP) has yet to be sent out. The focus has to be Made-in-India.
The contract is also supposed to be linked to the transfer of a few critical aerospace technologies. The MRFA deal is considered a critical component of India’s defense strategy, particularly in light of regional security challenges.
Combine Rafale-M, IAF’s MRFA & “Make-In-India-For-The-World”
The purchase of Rafale-M, which is highly similar to the IAF Rafale fleet, is a good decision. It was better than inducting another type of aircraft, which brings with it many logistics and maintenance challenges. Combining repairs and spares with the IAF will save maintenance costs and inventory holding numbers.
G2G was a good method, considering that the technical evaluation had already been done in great detail, and it would save a lot of time. Also, the Rafale will be able to operate on land along with the IAF in operational contingencies. In fact, they both must train together very significantly.
The desperate need for the IAF’s fighter aircraft requirement has been well-flagged. The government had set up a high-level committee under the Defense Secretary to suggest ways to address the IAF’s shortages urgently.
The purchase of 114 Rafales for the IAF as part of the MRFA program could have been added to 26 Rafale-M, bringing the total to 140. Such a number is very viable for Make-in-India.
Dassault’s factory in France has its hands full with orders and a long queue for supplying existing orders. France has been open to setting up a factory in India as a Joint Venture. Like the CASA C-295, the factory could be set up with the private sector. It would be a win-win for both.
The factory in India could be used for “Make-in-India-for-the-World.” India will benefit from global manufacturing best practices. Indian private industry will receive huge orders, and the MSME sector will particularly benefit.
Such a decision can be linked to aero-engine technology transfer, albeit with some additional contracts.
Making Rafale in India will not scuttle or slow the LCA Mk1A, LCA Mk2, and AMCA projects. One school of thought is that India can concentrate only on LCA Mk 1A and AMCA and discontinue LCA Mk 2.
Whatever the route, it is time for the “huddle” to take hard calls and get the IAF’s fighter requirements on track.
- Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retired) is an Indian Air Force veteran fighter test pilot and ex-director-general of the Center for Air Power Studies in New Delhi. He has been decorated with gallantry and distinguished service medals while serving in the IAF for 40 years.
- He tweets @Chopsyturvey
- Follow EurAsian Times on Google News
