..:: India Strategic ::. Rafale will come with fill ToT
Executive Vice President International Eric Trappier told India Strategic that Dassault was hopeful of winning the Indian Air Force (IAF) competition for 126-plus Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) and that the company would have no hesitation in transferring the “best onboard technologies, both for IAF and Indian Navy if the latter opted for it also for its future aircraft carriers.”
He and his team were in regular touch with the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD), and like the other rival in the MMRCA competition, he was waiting for the commercial bids to open. He was sure, he said, that Rafale would be economical and cheaper than the competition in the short and long run. “We have had a long relationship with India spanning 50 years and we want this to be longer.”
Trappier was also hopeful of the Mirage 2000 upgrade contract to be signed soon. Although most of the upgradation would be done by the technology company Thales, the aircraft were originally sold by Dassault, which now has a substantial stake in Thales.
After the upgradation, the Mirage 2000 would be as good as new Mirage 2005 aircraft, possibly with some better technologies than before.
Thales is providing Electronic Warfare (EW) suites, combat radars, displays, helmet mounted cueing systems and some of the weapons for both the Mirage and Rafale. The latter though would have the advantage of modern AESA radars and possibly Ultra Violet or Infra Red Search and Track (UV or IR ST) systems for well Beyond the Visual Range (BVR) engagement and neutralization of hostile targets.
These systems would be compatible with most of the precision weapons.
On offer is also the latest Air to Air Meteor missile developed by MBDA.
Rafale was also stated to have lower radar signature due to the integration of its engine intakes with the body. “If you look at it from the front, it is like a bird with natural contours, not extruding inlets.” And the aircraft would have less fuel consumption than others, which would both be economical and strategic in war time, when fuel supplies are invariably in short supplies.
Trappier described the Rafale as an omni role fighter, and said that it was the only aircraft already operating both from land and sea and that its capabilities had been demonstrated both to the IAF and Indian Navy. France’s only aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, had done exercises with the Indian Navy and also visited Mumbai recently.
Asked about the combat radars and weapons, he pointed out that Dassault’s associate company Thales had already developed and validated the RBE2 AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar and “it would be on board the aircraft ordered by India well in time.”
In fact, there would be other systems and weapons which would also be delivered to the IAF to its satisfaction.
Asked about reports that some of the weapons were available only with the US companies, like the Raytheon High Speed Anti Radiation Missile (HARM), and that even if a company was willing to sell them, the approval would have to still from the US Government, Trappier said that he was hopeful that there would be no problem.
Notably, all the six contestants in the MMRCA fray had promised to meet all the IAF requirements.
There would have to be some diplomatic intervention perhaps at a later stage between the winner and its country/ countries of manufacture as well as the US to secure this arrangement. Maybe India’s goodwill will play a role irrespective of which of the two finalists bags the world’s biggest aircraft order yet.
Indications are that New Delhi would order nearly 200 aircraft, 126 as per the tender, and 63 mentioned in the option clause.
As far as I see it, the recent decision for the Mirage upgrades even increased the chances of Rafale to win, because because of more commonality and lower costs. So can you explain what recent developments would have favoured the EF other than EF fake PR about beeing better in A2G, or that they smashed the MKI?
