Earlier in our blog, we had assumed that the Indian Navy is expecting to buy Rafale-M fighter jets for expanding its naval power. Now it has been confirmed that the Indian Navy will be buying 26 Units of Rafale-M Naval Fighter Jets.
Dassault Aviation is gaining traction for a contract with the Indian Navy to supply 26 Rafale-M naval fighters for operations off the deck of India’s new aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. The Indian Navy has formally indicated to the Indian Ministry of Defence that the Rafale meets more of its requirements than Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet. While Indian defense contracting has been notorious for the distance — and pitfalls — between contest win and contract award, top Indian Navy sources said that the Rafale “has this one”.
Also read: Why India Chose Dassault Rafale Over Eurofighter Typhoon
A year after the two competing aircraft went through weeks of field tests at the Indian Navy’s shore-based test facility in Goa, the Rafale takes the lead.
Other Players in the Race
The contract award would make the Indian Navy the first export customer of the naval carrier-based Rafale-M, with the air force variant already exported to Egypt, Qatar, Greece, and India. The Indian Air Force’s 36 Rafale jets, which will be divided into two squadrons, will arrive in India between 2020 and 2022. The same variant is a contender in the Indian Air Force’s multirole fighter aircraft (MRFA) contest, which seeks to buy and build 114 fighters. This is a rerun of the failed M-MRCA tender, in which the Rafale beat out a slew of competitors, including the F/A-18 Super Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16 Super Viper, Gripen NG, and MiG-35.
Also read: Comparing Rafale And F-35: Who Will Win?
Capability of Rafale-M
Indications that the Super Hornet being edged by the Rafale come after years of battling to prove compatibility with Indian Navy aircraft carriers. The Rafale appears to have simply proved to be more compatible than the F/A-18 in the end, though the finer details of the analysis are unclear.
Also read: Difference Between IAF Rafale VS IAF Sukhoi 30
If Dassault Aviation is successful in closing the deal for 26 Rafales, it will be a stopgap acquisition that will provide the Indian Navy with carrier-based jets to bridge the gap until the TEDBF is operational in the next decade. According to reports emerging from the ongoing Aero India show, the TEDBF’s first flight could take place as early as 2026.
For years, the Indian Navy has been clear that it does not want any more MiG-29K jets, which were required by the acquisition of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier (now INS Vikramaditya). Availability, performance, and maintenance issues are said to have compelled the Indian Navy to put a halt to any further considerations of the type, despite the significant infrastructure investment. If you liked the article do share it with your friends. Follow SSBCrackExams for more articles.
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