Indian Air Force to formally induct Rafale Fighter Jets in Ambala

The Indian Air Force is going to formally induct the Rafale aircraft on September 10, 2010 at Air Force Station, Ambala. The aircraft will be a part of 17 Squadron called as the Golden Arrows. The first five Indian Air Force Rafale aircraft have arrived to the Air Force Station, Ambala from France on July 27th, 2020.

Background

India had concluded an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets. The deal was done at a cost of €7.87 billion. The delivery of all the Rafale has to be completed by 2022. With all the 36 Rafale delivered by 2022, it will take it to 32 squadrons.

Rafale jet

• The Rafale or the Dassault Rafale is a French twin-engine and a multi-role fighter aircraft.
• It has been designed and built by Dassault Aviation.
• It is equipped with a wide range of weapons
• Rafale intends to perform following functions:

• 1.  air supremacy,
  2. interdiction,
  3. aerial reconnaissance,
  4. ground support,
  5. in-depth strike,
  6. anti-ship strike and
  7. nuclear deterrence missions.

• It is also called as an omnirole aircraft by Dassault.
• It is a 4.5 Generation jet which can reach double the speed of sound, with top most speed of 1.8 Mach.
• Militarily, Rafale means “burst of fire”.

Significance

• Rafale can also carry more fuel and weapons than any other jets in the air force.
• It is the most advanced Meteor air-to-air missiles.
• The missile has a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) of over 100 km
• The Rafale also come with SCALP which is a air-to-ground cruise missile having a range over 300 km.
• Within the range of 70 kms It can be used against bunker-type hardened targets.

Thus, the induction of the Rafale Aircrafts in the Indian Air Force will provide India a superior Nuclear Strike capability. It is going to enhance India’s nuclear capability together with the Sukhoi Su-30 and Mirage-2000.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2020