India inks Rafale deal

India signed on Friday a Rs 59,000-crore deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons and equipped with latest missiles that will give India greater “potency” over arch rival Pakistan.

India’s first major acquisition of combat planes in two decades is part of the Narendra Modi government’s plans to modernise the country’s ageing Soviet-era fleet.

“This (the deal) is an achievement, which will give Indian Air Force the required potency in terms of penetration and capability,” said defence minister Manohar Parrikar who signed the deal with his French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian in Delhi.

The 36 fighter jets, with weapons, training equipment and logistics, will come to India from France in “ready to fly” condition. In about five and a half years the entire fleet, manufactured by French aviation company Dassault, will be delivered.

The first fighter jet will be coming in three years.

"This Rafale version has better operational features than the one operated by other air forces," a defence ministry source said. With a 780-1,055-km range, Rafale can undertake both air defence and ground attack operations in a single mission.

Its weapons package includes Meteor missiles, widely acknowledged by military experts to be the world’s most lethal radar-guided air-to-air missile at the moment. The Meteor has a “beyond visual range” of 150 km which means Rafale fighters can shoot at targets deep inside Pakistan without even crossing Indian borders.

Another weapon, the air-to-ground Scalp cruise missile with a 300-km range, will immensely boost India’s capability. Both the Meteor and the Scalp have extreme precisions.

The deal also provides for a 50 per cent offset clause, which will translate into a huge opportunity for Indian businesses and jobs.

"French industrial suppliers will train IAF men. There will be advanced training of three IAF pilots, one engineer and six technicians by the French Air Force," the source said.

Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier expressed his keenness to manufacturing the Rafale in India if the plane is shortlisted for a bigger order.

"It is 36 at the moment. We feel that we can create a strong industrial partnership in India. We know very well the large number of aircraft that the IAF needs," Trappier said in an interview with PTI.

Initially, India had floated tenders for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft for which Rafale was shortlisted. However, due to the delay over cost and other issues, the Narendra Modi government decided to go for 36 Rafale jets in flyaway condition. The acquisition was first mooted in 2012.

Asked if more fighter aircraft would be needed, Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak (retired) told this newspaper:

"We need at least 43 squadrons. And it will have to be done fast. Without this latest acquisition, our strength would have diminished to about 24 squadrons in 10 years which is the just about the strength of Pakistan’s Air Force."