Indian Navy Follows IAF, Signs for 26 Rafale-M from France

By Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd)

New Delhi. India has signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with France for purchasing 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets for the Indian Navy, 22 of them Single Seat and 4 Twin Seat versions.

Signed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and French Minister of Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu remotely, from their own countries, the IGA covered aircraft package supply protocol and weapons package supply protocol. Copies of the IGA were then exchanged by Indian and French officials in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh at the Indian Navy Headquarters, at the Nausena Bhawan. Navy Vice-Chief Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan and French Ambassador in India Thoerry Mathou were also present at the event.

In addition to the IGA, several associated Government-to-Business agreements were also concluded, according to an official statement by the Indian Defence Ministry.

The deal includes training, simulators, weapons, and a five-year Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) support package.  Deliveries are expected to begin in mid-2028 and be completed by 2030. The key aspects of the deal are that the shipboard Rafale-Marine jets are designed to operate from aircraft carriers, specifically the INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, enhancing India’s naval capabilities.

Significantly, the deal also includes additional equipment for the existing Rafale fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Costings

The deal is worth approximately ₹63,000 crore (around Euro 7 billion). There will be more than 90 per cent commonality between the IAF and IN aircraft, and accordingly, substantial reduction in maintenance and spares costs. Interestingly, the Rafale M can also be used for land-based operations, taking off and landing in unison with IAF jets, and increase jointness.

Another notable feature of the IGA is the Transfer of Technology for integration of indigenous weapons, such as the Astra Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile (AAM). As per the MOD statement, “It also includes the setting up of production facility for Rafale Fuselage as well as Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities for aircraft engines, sensors and weapons in India,”  The deal is expected to generate thousands of jobs and revenue for a large number of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

India is the first international operator of this naval variant of the Rafale, and will strengthen India’s naval power.

Indian Military Aviation’s Time-tested French Connection

After the WW II, aviation designer Marcel Dassault re-established the aviation industry in France.

The M.D.450 (Marcel Dassault) Ouragan was the first French-designed jet fighter-bomber to enter production. Iwas later operated by France, Israel, India and El Salvador. In June 1953, India ordered 71 Ouragans, named Toofani by IAF. Finally 104 were bought. IAF started to replace them with French Mystère IVA in 1957, and by 1965, Toofanis were withdrawn from front line service, though they continued to be in use for some years as advanced trainers and Target Towing.

India procured 104 “supersonic-in-a-dive” Mystere. These were used extensively in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. On 7 September 1965, an Indian Mystere, piloted by Squadron Leader Devayya shot down a Pakistani Lockheed F-104 Starfighter in a raid over Sargodha. Mystère IVs were also very successful in surface strikes. The aircraft were phased out by 1973.

HAL and French Collaborations

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) license-built versions of the French Aérospatiale SA 315B Lama (designated Cheetah) and Aérospatiale Alouette III (designated Chetak) helicopters in mid-1960s. The Indian Navy also procured 14 French Bréguet Br.1050 Alizé in 1960 for carrier operations.

French Turbomeca TM 333 2B2 engine powered initial HAL Dhruv helicopters,  later replaced by the Shakti engine, developed jointly by HAL and Turbomeca. The TM 333 2M2 powers HAL Cheetal and Chetan, upgraded versions of the Cheetah and Chetak, respectively.

While IAF kept procuring Soviet aircraft for a long time from 1960s onwards, India did buy the Anglo-French SEPECAT Jaguar Deep Penetration Strike Aircraft (DPSA) in late 1970s; the contract though was serviced by the British. IAF built and upgraded many Jaguars and continues to fly significant numbers even today.

The Mirage 2000

India procured the Dassault Mirage 2000, multirole, single-engine jet fighter in 1984. It was the first relaxed stability fly-by-wire aircraft with active controls technology to induct in IAF.

It brought the first look-down/shoot-down capabilities, combined with the Super R530 beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile and the all-aspect Magic 2 missile. IAF also got the first comprehensive Electronic Warfare (EW) suite on the aircraft with a self-protection jammer, RWR, Chaff and Flare Dispenser, an escort jammer and an Elint Pod. The aircraft has since been upgraded to Mirage 2000-5 Mk 2 standards, and extending its useful life for another 20–25 years. It can now carry the French MICA air-to-air missiles, Israeli Spice-2000 glide bomb and the indigenous Astra AAM.

Mirage 2000 performed exceedingly well in the 1999 Kargil conflict, that took place over some of the highest terrain in the world. Easy maintenance and a very high sortie rate made the Mirage 2000 one of the most efficient IAF fighters in the conflict. The Mirage 2000 was the chosen platform for the 2019 Balakot Strike over Pakistan.

The Rafale

The French twin-engine delta-wing fighter aircraft is an omni-role fighter with frontal-stealth capabilities. It can simultaneously undertake air supremacy, interdiction, reconnaissance, and the airborne nuclear deterrent missions.

Rafale was inducted in the French Air Force and for carrier-based operations in the French Navy in 2000. Rafale has been used in combat over Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq and Syria.

The aircraft uses digital fly-by-wire controls and has very high level of agility. Rafale’s canards reduce the minimum landing speed to 115 knots (213 km/h) and better aircraft-carrier performance. The Rafale’s glass cockpit was designed around the principle of data fusion that prioritises information display to pilots. The primary flight controls are arranged in a hands-on-throttle-and-stick (HOTAS)-compatible configuration. The cockpit features a wide-angle holographic head-up display (HUD), two head-down flat-panel colour multi-function displays (MFDs) as well as a central collimated display. The cockpit is fully compatible with night vision goggles (NVG).

Rafale also features an advanced avionics suite. The passive front-sector electro-optical system can operate both in the visible and infrared wavelengths.

The total value of the radar, electronic communications and self-protection equipment is about 30 percent of the cost of an entire aircraft.

The Rafale features an integrated electronic survival system named SPECTRA, which protects the aircraft against airborne and ground threats. The system incorporates radar warning receiver, laser-warning, Missile Approach Warning (MAW) receiver for threat detection plus a phased array radar jammer and a decoy dispenser for threat countering. Areos all-weather, night-and-day-capable reconnaissance system used on the Rafale has the ability to transmit information such as images in real-time to ground stations.

Both the IAF and Naval variants have these capabilities, and then, also the RBE2 AA Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar with a range of 200 km.

IAF Deal Details

The deal for IAF’s 36 aircraft was for €7.87 billion, then Rs 58,891 crores.

Signed under the Government-to-Government (G2G) contract, the Rafale deal meant supply of 28 single-seat and eight twin-seat aircraft. It included tailor-made IAF-specific enhancements including the integration of an Israeli helmet-mounted display (HMD), radar warning receivers and low-band jammers, a weapons package and a performance-based logistics agreement.

The aircraft’s 14 hard-points can carry 9,500 kg external load. The air-to-air missiles include Matra Magic II, MBDA MICA IR or EM, and MBDA Meteor.

Meteor is an active radar guided, BVRAAM that offers multi-shot capability against long range manoeuvring jets, UAVs and cruise missiles in a heavy electronic countermeasures (ECM) environment with ranges well in excess of 150 kilometres. The no-escape zone of over 60 km is largest among air-to-air missiles, according to the manufacturer.

India also procured SCALP air-to-ground cruise missiles. Subsequently, the HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) Glide Bomb was bought. The Indian Rafale is a modified version of the F3R standard.

India ordered only two Squadrons, (18 + 18), in 2016 under an emergency procurement clause as IAF’s 2007 tender for acquring 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) was stuck due to allegations floated in political and media circles. This 126 jet was later cancelled and a new proposal as Request for Information (RFI) for 114 Multi Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) was issued in 2018. It is also pending.

Both these proposals entailed substantial Transfer or Technology (TOT) for indigenous manufacture.

IAF’s two squadrons are located at two different airbases, and both have infrastructure and capacity for an additional squadron each.

The French have already tested a newer Rafale variant, F4, that incorporates  an upgraded radar, improved HMDS, OSF (long range Optoelectronics System), and there will also be the addition of the critical Infra Red Search and Track (IRST) system for detecting and identifying airborne stealth targets at long range. The F 4 will be more effective in today’s network-centric warfare, with more data exchange and satellite communication capacity.

Rafale-M

According to simulations by Dassault, the Rafale M has sufficient low speed performance to operate from Short Take-off but Arrested Recovery (STOBAR)-configured aircraft carriers, and can take off using a ski-jump with no modifications.

The Rafale M features a greatly reinforced undercarriage to cope with the additional stresses of naval landings, an arrester hook, and “jump strut” nose-wheel, which only extends during short take-offs and catapult launches.

It features a built-in ladder, carrier-based microwave landing system, and the new fin-tip Telemir system for syncing the inertial navigation system to external equipment. Altogether, the naval modifications of the Rafale M increase its weight by 500 kilograms compared to other variants.

The Rafale M has foldable wings, and retains about 95 percent commonality with Air Force variants.

Rafale-M Operations and Compatibility with US Navy Carriers

The French Naval Aviation (Aéronavale), the air arm of the French Navy, received its first two Rafale M fighters in December 2000. After almost four years of training, it was declared operational in June 2004.

The Rafale M is fully compatible with United States Navy aircraft carriers and some French Navy pilots have qualified to fly the aircraft from US Navy flight decks.

In 2002, the Rafales were first deployed to a combat zone; seven Rafale Ms embarked aboard Charles de Gaulle during “Mission Héraclès”, the French participation in “Operation Enduring Freedom”. The aircraft carrier was stationed in the Gulf of Oman. In 2016, Rafales operating from Charles de Gaulle struck targets associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (IS).

Rafales have launched and landed on US carriers to demonstrate interoperability. The May 2018, Operation Chesapeake, was a test of this interoperability, when 12 Rafale Ms along with nearly 350 support personnel embarked aboard USS George HW George Bush for two weeks of carrier qualifications and exercises after conducting a month of shore based training at Naval Air Station Oceana.

French Rafale M Exercises with IAF

On 9 January 2025, Rafale M conducted joint anti-aircraft drills with Su-30 MKI and Jaguar aircraft of the IAF.

The French Carrier Strike Group (CSG) centred on the Charles de Gaulle, the carrier air wing including Rafale M, her escort ships and fleet support ship Jacques Chevallier were on a visit to India 4-9 January 2025 during the Mission Clemenceau 25.

Simultaneously, INS Mormugao conducted joint navigational drills and Maritime Partnership Exercise with the escort ships.

Rafale M, A Great Operational Asset

Traditionally India and France have been enjoying an exceptionally warm relationship, which is the fruit of deep affinities and the unwavering trust between the two countries since India’s independence.

France is considered as the most reliable Western ‘friend’. IAF regularly carries out Garuda series of air exercises with French Air Force since 2003. The latest “Garuda VII” was held at Jodhpur in November 2022. French Air and Space Force (FASF) also participated in IAF multilateral exercise “Tarang Shakti” in Aug-Sep 24.

Rafale M Weapons

Rafale-M will carry all the weapons that IAF currently deploys on them.

In addition, it will have anti-shipping and anti-submarine weapons. One can say that for all practical purposes India will soon have 62 Rafale for use against India’s Western and Northern adversary even for aerial engagements and land-strike stand-off role.

IAF’s Depleting Numbers

IAF has an authorised strength of 42 Squadrons (756 combat aircraft), but is down to around 30 (540). There should actually be three more aircraft per squadron, that is an additional 126 aircraft, as Maintenance Reserve and Strike Off Wastage (MRSOW). Exact figures are not known.

The only modern aircraft with IAF though are the 36 Rafales, and then, around 250 of the heavier Su 30MKIs which can carry the formidable BrahMos supersonic missiles.

The rest are mostly vintage Mirage 2000s and Mig 29s from the Indira Gandhi-Rajiv Gandhi era.

Many aircraft have had to be phased out over the years due to the completion of their Total Technical Life (TTL), and the country has somehow not been able to make up for the depleting numbers, due mainly to the politics of allegations over the 1986 Bofors deal and the resultant paralyses in the general modernisation and acquisition process at the Ministry of Defence and even in the Prime Minister’s Office.

India has a Two Front War Threat

While the Indian Navy’s induction of Rafale M will be helpful, IAF urgently needs more fighter squadrons. The Indian Government is considering acquisition of 114 jets under the MRFA programme, and if Rafale is selected again, then its newer F4 version could be looked at. But whichever aircraft is selected by the Ministry of Defence, the technology has to be about Electronic Warfare.

IAF actually needs many many combat aircraft, so it may be appropriate to set up 2 lines of production.

Make in India with ToT has to be the mandated clause, and that goes without saying.

(The Author is former Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies [CAPS]. A Test Pilot, he was in the first IAF Team to ferry the Mirage 2000 from France to India in 1985. He has flying experience on the Rafale).