Formal induction of the first five Rafale Fighter Jets: All you need to know

On September 10, 2020, the Indian Air Force is set to formally induct the Rafale Fighter Jets at the Ambala Airbase. At the time of formal induction, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be present along with his French counterpart Florence Parly and Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria. 

After a controversial procurement procedure, 5 Rafale fighter jets of the 36 ordered by IAF are on their way to India from Mérignac in France and will reach Ambala on July 29, 2020. The fighter jets took to skies on July 27, 2020, and have landed safely at Al Dhafra airbase, UAE. In the second half of August, the final induction ceremony is scheduled. 

It is important to note that all the 10 jets are not the same and are a mix of single-seater and two-seater planes. Out of these 10 jets, five are on their way to India while other 5 will remain in France for training purposes. The delivery of all the 36 jets to India is expected by the end of 2021. 

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Key takeaways

1- The air and ground crew of IAF has undergone comprehensive training on the Rafale. 

2- The Rafale's empty weight is 10 tonnes and its maximum weight take-off weight is approximately 25 tonnes, way more than the transport aircraft. These aircraft can also deliver nuclear weapons.  

3- The Ambala at the western front and Hashimara airbases at the eastern front will house 18 aircrafts each. 

4- The Rafale will house 'Meteor', air to air missile with a strike range of 120-150 km and 'Scalp', air-to-ground cruise missiles with the strike range of 300 km. 

5- In a government-to-government deal, 5 out of 36 Rafale aircraft have been ordered from France for Rs. 59,000 crores in September 2016. 

6- The jets are a part of the IAF's No. 17 Squadron 'Golden Arrows'. 

7- As per the officials, the second batch will reach Ambala in the month of October and the third batch will arrive by December. The deliveries will be completed by the end of 2021. 

Specially tailored Rafales for IAF

As per the requirements by IAF, the Rafales have been specifically enhanced by Dassault. These enhancements include-- helmet-mounted sight, radar warning receivers, flight data recorders with storage for 10 hours of data, infrared search and track systems, jammers, cold engine start capability to operate from high-altitude bases, and towed decoys to ward off incoming missiles.

The twin-engine jet is capable of carrying out a variety of missions on the ground as well as sea, air defence and air superiority, reconnaissance and nuclear strike deterrence. The jets are designed to carry almost 10 tonnes of weapons on as many as 14 hardpoints.

Squadron for the Rafales

The first batch of Rafales will join resurrected No 17 ‘Golden Arrows’ squadron of the Air Force. This squadron was created in the year 1951 and has witnessed many remarkable operations including the Kargil War amongst others. However, the squadron was disbanded in the year 2016 after the IAF started phasing out ageing Mig-21, operated by the Golden Arrows. 

Background

The Government of India kept a competition known as MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) or the MRCA tender to supply 126 multi-role combat aircraft to the IAF (Indian Air Force). In the year 2008, the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, allocated Rs. 55,000 crores to purchase the aircraft. The deal was India's single largest defence deal.  The contest featured the following aircraft:  Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, Mikoyan MiG-35, and Saab JAS 39 Gripen. 

In February 2011, Rafales flew demonstrations in India, including air-to-air combat against Su-30MKIs. On 27 April 2011, IAF shortlisted two fighter jets-- Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon for 10.4 billion USD. ON January 31, 2012, IAF announced Rafale as the preferred bidder due to its lower life-cycle cost.

After this announcement, it was proposed that the 108 Rafales would be manufactured in India by HAL while 18 will be procured by the IAF till 2015 in fly-away condition. However, the proposed deal was rejected by the Dassault as it refused to take responsibility for the 108 HAL-manufactured Rafales. 

In May 2013, as per a report by The Times of India, the negotiations were back on track with 18 Rafales to be delivered in India by 2017. 

In March 2014, both the sides agreed to the proposal that 18 Rafales would be delivered to India in fly-away condition while the remaining 108 will be built 70% by HAL. As per several reports, by the end of 2014, India and France were in a dialogue to sign a deal by March 2015. 

In April 2015, a joint statement was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President François Hollande, followed by the former's visit to Paris, that India will purchase 36 Rafales in fly-away condition for 8 Billion USD. Also, it was agreed that France would reinvest 30% of the deal's value in India's defence sector and will also create infrastructure for operating Rafale.  On April 13, 2015, the then Minister of Defence, Manohar Parrikar announced the withdrawal of the 126-aircraft MMRCA tender and on July 30, 2015, India officially withdrew the tender.

Both India and France failed to finalise the April 2015 deal and India, later on, insisted France reinvest 50% of the deal's value, in addition to the two bases. 

In January 2016, the Government of India directed the Indian Navy to undertake detailed briefings with Dassault regarding the Rafale. On September 23, 2016, the then Defence Minister of India, Manohar Parrikar and the then Minister of Defence of France, Jean-Yves Le Drian signed a €7.8 billion contract for 36 off-the-shelf Rafales with an option for 18 more at the same inflation-adjusted price.

By 2019, India expected the first delivery of Rafales and the rest were expected within 6 years. The deal also included Meteor BVRAAM missiles, amongst others. The controversy sparked when Dassault partnered with Anil Ambani's Reliance Naval and Engineering Limited(R-Naval), a private company with no aviation experience instead of earlier decided state-owned HAL. PIL was filed in the Apex Court of India to monitor the irregularities. However, on December 14, 2018, all the petitions were dismissed by the Supreme Court of India as it found no irregularities in the deal. 

In March 2019, a replacement of MiG-21s by the Rafales were proposed by the government officials to counter Pakistan's newer F-16s. In late 2019, IAF accepted the aircraft at Dassault's Bordeaux manufacturing facility in an event attended by Defence minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Florence Parly. The aircraft had "RB-001" to mark IAF chief-designate Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria's role in the 2016 deal.

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