During his visit to France, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to announce a multibillion-dollar deal to acquire 26 Rafale Marine fighter planes. The Prime Minister will be in France on July 17 as the honorary guest at the Bastille Day parade.
The Battle Of Rafale-M And F-18
The Indian Navy has shown a preference for the deck-based French Rafale Marine over the US F-18 Super Hornets, according to this paper. The cost of these multi-role carrier-borne fighters has not been disclosed, although sources say they will be less expensive than those purchased by the Indian Air Force previously. Instead of using an open tender, they will be purchased through a government-to-government agreement.
The Indian Navy has been looking for a suitable fighter to replace its ageing MiG 29Ks on the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. According to sources, its search ended with Dassault’s Rafale Marine, which shares more than 80% of the attributes of the IAF’s Rafales. Because of the savings in training, repairs, and maintenance that will arise from the fleet’s commonality, the Navy chose the French fighter.
According to sources, the Indian Navy leadership was impressed by the Rafale-M’s capabilities during a joint drill and operational demonstration test performed in India. Following the tests, the Navy advised the Ministry of Defence that the Rafale-M was the best fit for its requirements. The ministry has negotiated a thorough maintenance, spares, and training deal that includes the construction of an on-board maintenance facility on INS Vikrant as well as one on the ground in Goa, as well as training for ground personnel and pilots. In addition to warships, the fighters will be outfitted with sophisticated maritime technologies, such as maritime search radars capable of detecting submarines.
In collaboration with the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), India is working on a long-term plan to create indigenous deck-based aircraft. The Aeronautical Development Agency planned and developed these twin-engine deck-based fighters, which will be constructed by HAL. The aircraft, which will be initially showcased at Aero India in 2021, will take several years to deploy.
To crack the SSB Interview and join the Indian Army as an Officer, You can join our SSB interview live classes batch and we recommend you to Enroll SSB INTERVIEW ONLINE COURSE. Trusted by thousands of defence aspirants.
Also Read:
- All You Need To Know About Indian Air Force Fighter Aircraft
- Top 5 Fighter Jets Of Indian Air Force
- List Of Aircraft Used By the Indian Navy
- All Fighter Jet Acquisitions By The IAF
- List Of Transport Aircraft Carriers Used By Indian Armed Forces
- All You Need To Know About Indian Air Force Fighter Aircraft
- All Fighter Aircraft Of India – How To Identify Them
- All About India’s 5th Generation Fighter Jet ‘AMCA’
- How HAL Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) Is Going To Help Indian Air Force?
- All Fighter Jet Acquisitions By The IAF
- Why India Chose Dassault Rafale Over Eurofighter Typhoon
- Comparing Rafale And F-35: Who Will Win?
- Difference Between IAF Rafale VS IAF Sukhoi 30
