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Preliminary   > Science and Technology   >   Defence technology   >   DEFENCE AGREEMENTS

Why in news

  • More than a year following the arrival of the first batch of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, the controversy over L’affaire Rafale refuses to die down.

More about the news:

  • Mediapart, a French portal, has now published a set of alleged fake invoices, and claimed that Dassault Aviation paid middleman and defence contractor Sushen Gupta over Euro 7 million in kickbacks between 2007-2012

About Rafale aircraft:

  • Rafale are twin-engine Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA).
  • It is manufactured by French company ‘Dassault Aviation’.
  • The 4.5 generation aircraft is 'Omnirole' by design, i.e. the capability to perform several actions at the same time such as Reconnaissance, Air-to-ground precision strike, anti-ship attacks, nuclear deterrence and mid-air refueling.
  • The aircraft is fitted with an on-board oxygen generation system (OBOGS) which suppresses the need for liquid oxygen re-filling or ground support for oxygen production.
  • It carry out a wide range of missions:
    • Air-defence
    • Aerial reconnaissance
    • Air-to-ground precision strike
    • Anti-ship attacks
    • Nuclear deterrence etc.

Rafale deal:

  • The Rafale was chosen in 2012 over rival offers, as part of India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition, to upgrade the ageing fleet.
  • The original plan was that India would buy 18 off-the-shelf jets, with 108 others being assembled in India by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
  • Later, the new government decided to buy 36 "ready-to-fly" fighters instead of trying to acquire technology from Dassault and make it in India. The delivery of all 36 aircraft is set to be completed on schedule by 2022.
  • In September 2016, India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France, dubbed as "Rafale deal", to buy Rafale fighters for a price estimated to be Rs. 58,000 crore or 7.8 billion Euros.
  • As per the deal, India will also get spares and weaponry, including the Meteor and Scalp missiles.
  • Additionally, an accompanying offset clause was sealed through which France will invest 30 per cent of the 7.8 billion Euros in India's military aeronautics-related research programs and 20 per cent into local production of Rafale components.

Why India need Rafale?

  • The Indian Air Force (IAF), one of the largest in the world, operates a diverse mix of fighter jets, including MiG, Jaguar, Su-30MKI, Tejas etc.
  • IAF now has 33 squadrons, much lower than the sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons.
  • With the IAF set to phase out 11 squadrons of the ageing MiG-21s and MiG-27s, the number may dip again.
  • The delay in the development of Tejas and its induction meant looking for the alternatives from abroad.

Add ons:

  • Besides the Indian Air Force, the Rafale has been selected for purchase by the Egyptian and the Qatar Air Forces.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements about Dassault Rafale fighter aircrafts:

1. Rafale aircrafts are of French origin.

2. They belong to the category of medium multi-role aircraft.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer