The new Rafale fighters jets will significantly enhance the offensive capabilities of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and prove to be a game-changer with their advanced weaponry, defence experts have said.
The jet is capable of carrying out a variety of missions — ground and sea attack, air defence and air superiority, reconnaissance and nuclear strike deterrence.
Specially tailored for the IAF, the Rafale jets have cold engine start capability to operate from high-altitude bases including Leh, radar warning receivers, flight data recorders with storage for 10 hours of data, infrared search and track systems, low-band jammers, Israeli helmet-mounted displays and towed decoys to ward off incoming missiles.
These Rafale jets will be armed with Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, MICA multi-mission air-to-air missiles and Scalp deep-strike cruise missiles — weapons that will allow fighter pilots to attack air and ground targets from standoff ranges and fill a significant capability gap.
The Meteor’s no-escape zone is touted to be three times greater than that of current medium-range air-to-air missiles. The Meteor, with a range estimated to be well above 120 kilometres, outranges any other missile in aerial combat.
The Meteor is the next generation of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden.
It is powered by a unique rocket-ramjet motor that gives it far more engine power for much longer than any other missile, said an official.
The Scalp is a deep-strike cruise missile known for having pinpoint terminal accuracy through its highly accurate seeker and target recognition system.
The twin-engine fighter jet’s ‘payload fraction’ or its maximum take-off weight vis-a-vis its overall empty weight is unmatched in aircraft of the same class. It can carry almost 10 tonnes of weapons and five tonnes of fuel.
Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha (retd), a former IAF chief, said the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar on the Rafale and its weapons package make it a formidable platform.
India is also looking at arming the Rafale fighter jets with an all-weather smart weapon of French origin that will allow combat pilots to engage ground targets from a standoff range of up to 60km.
The IAF is likely to initiate the purchase of HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) using the emergency financial powers granted to the military by the government at a time of border tensions with China.
HAMMER is a precision-guided missile developed by French defence major Safran.
