Indian Air Force will soon receive last four Rafale fighters from France from February. All of them will be equipped with enhancement specific to Indian geography that will give them an edge in difficult regions.
Three Rafale fighters are expected to leave Istres-Le Tube Air Base situated in north-west of Marseille in South France around February 1. However, weather conditions will determine their departure from France. Mid air refueling will be done by United Arab Emirates Air Force by using Airbus multi role transport tankers.
While the last fighter is nearly ready with fresh paint and enhancements, the fighter for reasons best known to IAF will arrive only in April, 2022. The last of the 36 contracted fighters from France is actually the first fighter used for training IAF personnel after the deliveries started from France. This fighter was inspected by Defense Secretary Ajay Kumar at the Istres air base during his visit to France for a high level defense dialogue in December 2021.
Also read:
Samsung Launches S21 FE 5G In India: Check Price
Indian Air Force is not discussing about India specific enhancements on Rafale. But it is learnt that these relate to long range Meteor air-to-air missile, low band frequency jammers, advanced communication systems, more capable radio altimeter, radar warning receiver, high altitude engine start up, synthetic aperture radar, ground moving target indicator and tracking, missile approach warning systems and very high frequency range decoys.
On the arrival of the fighter jets, the IAF will test the specific enhancements to their satisfaction under Indian conditions apart from verifying the original equipment manufacturers claims as per agreement. After this, work will begin in retrofitting the remaining 32 aircraft at Ambala in western sector and Hashimara air base in eastern sector with the India specific enhancements with all the related equipment already with the IAF. The upgradation exercise will be carried out at Ambala air base which has the maintenance cum repair set up for Rafale fighters in India.
India’s acquisition of 36 Rafale fighters has led Pakistani Air Force has decided to purchase 25 J-10 multi-role fighters manufactured by China as a counter.
