Why Has India Bought the Rafales?

NEW DELHI - May 24, 2015 - PRLog -- According to an item published in the latest issue of Indian Military Review the major reasons for the direct purchase of 36 Rafale jets from France are the fast-depleting fighter strength of the Indian Air Force, unending delays in the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) negotiations and the steep price rise. The country now has a pressing need for the fighter since half of its existing fleet will be decomissioned by 2024.

Giving details, the new issue of Indian Military Review, published from New Delhi the fighter aircraft strength has fallen drastically to 34 squadrons from the sanctioned 42 and is set to further dip with the phasing out of MiG-21s and MiG-27s in the next few years. The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, has flagged the issue on several occasions. The MMRCA and the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, the replacements, are nowhere on the horizon. Also with the price crossing $20 billion, funding this was a concern for the government with other major modernisation  programmes in the offing.

Apart from just 55 per cent serviceability of new Sukhoi-30MKIs (200 in service, of 272 ordered for $12 billion), the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft behind schedule and delays in the joint development of the Russian 5th generation fighter project were making the situation critical for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Prime Minister Modi had been told by his defence team that the earlier MMRCA contract – to acquire 126 fighters at a cost to the country $14.43 billion, and a delivery period likely to be over seven years – could not offer the quick transfusion required for India's air capability. Instead, reducing the number to 36 jets, expected to be delivered in less than three years, seemed more effective to plug operational gaps.

In the end, it was "critical operational necessity" that compelled India to go in for a separate government-to-government agreement with the French for acquisition of 36 Rafales in "flyaway" condition as the IAF was deeply concerned over the falling number of its fighter squadrons. New Delhi's decision proved that in case of protracted contract negotiations with a foreign entity over critical defence equipment &  considering India's dependence on foreign armament and equipment  it is India that is likely to blink first.

With the LCA delayed and unavailable to replace the depleting and ageing fleet of MiGs, the gaps created could not be augmented adequately, although upgrading MIG-21s, Jaguars and the gradual induction of Sukhoi fighters helped ensure aircraft availability for missions. Around 20 used MIG-21 two-seaters (from Russia and Central Asian Republics) were procured as a desperate measure to fill the gap of a supersonic combat trainer.

The Su-30MKIs have extensive capability but could not have met the requirement of a medium multi-role fighter. The IAF also needed large numbers of smaller and lighter combat aircraft of MIG-21/ LCA class. The initial Request for Proposal was for 126 Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) then medium-weight was added to include the Gripen, F-16, F-18 improved variant, Rafale and Eurfighter Typhoon.

Pakistan and China were posing greater challenges. India needed to replenish an air force fleet that had fallen to 34 operational squadrons, down from 39 earlier this decade and below the government-approved strength of 42 considered necessary to face a two-front challenge from Pakistan and China.

Parrikar said, on 13 April, that India needed 100 new light combat aircraft within five years to replace the MiG-21s, and that the heavier and pricier Rafale was not the plane to do it. His preference would be for the indigenously-made Tejas to fill the void. But Parrikar himself has admitted the LCA, in development for three decades, has limitations while the latest version still awaits final clearance.

The Dassault Rafale multi-role fighter jet has been a major weapon for the French Navy and Air Force but it did not attract foreign buyers' attention until it proved its mettle in airstrikes in Libya, Mali and Iraq. The aircraft has also been outstanding in reconnaissance and precision bombing in Iraq, where it is one of the main aircraft used in airstrikes against the Islamic State.

The aircraft, which has entered service with the French Navy in 2004 and the French Air Force in 2006, can function in air defense, reconnaissance, air-to-ground and air-to-sea attack roles and also conduct nuclear strikes.

The aircraft's aerodynamic design, avionics and engines are superior to its Chinese counterpart, the Chengdu J-10, which has entered service with the PLA. What makes the Rafale fighter stand out from other fighters is its ability to carry the ASMP-A, a cruise missile that can be fired as a warning shot before a nuclear strike.