The Indian government has given the green light to acquire 36 Rafale fighters from French Dassault. It is believed to be India's counter-move to China's growing military influence. The contract will be signed tomorrow in New Delhi.
French President Francois Hollande has already sent his Defense Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, to India to officially sign the agreement.
The Rafale program, postponed since 2012, will cost India 8,8 billion dollars. Four years ago, India said it was ready to buy 126 Rafales, a commission that was then downsized to two squadrons of 36 aircraft. All Rafale will be assembled in India.
It should be noted that the Indian strategic asset is made up of the Mirage 2000s. The Rafale multirole was purchased to take over this task. India is expected to have 120 to 150 nuclear warheads. Despite India's remarkable progress in developing credible ballistic missiles, its fighter-bombers form the backbone of the nuclear strike force.
The two squadrons are not to be understood as game changers in South Asia or able to shift the balance towards Pakistan and China. However, they are a deterrent.
Until last year, India had been considering purchasing the reliable and cheaper Su-30 from Moscow. India is Russia's largest trading partner in the defense sector. The IAF is based on 33 squadrons. Five are equipped with MiG-21s and five with MiG-27s. The six Jaguar squadrons are grounded in anticipation of new engines, avionics and upgrades.
Eleven squadrons are equipped with Su-30MKI air superiority fighters built under license: with the gradual withdrawal of the MiG-21/27 they will rise to fifteen. Finally, three squadrons of Mirage 2000H and three of MiG-29, currently in the retrofit phase.
The Bhāratīya Vāyu Senā or Indian Air Force has embarked on an intense modernization program and aims to have 2027-42 fighter squadrons by 44.
Finally, Russia and India have renegotiated the budget for the development of the Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft, the fifth-generation Indo-Russian fighter that gave life to the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA. The twelve billion dollars initially planned have been reduced to eight, a budget equally divided between the two countries. The agreement provides for the construction of eleven aircraft: eight in PAK-FA version for the Russians and three FGFA for the Indians with delivery of the first prototype by 2019.
The contract also provides for the updating of 50 specifications, upon cancellation of the acquisition of the new system by the Indian Air Force, estimated at 250 aircraft.
(photo: Dassault Aviation)
