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India and France are finalizing two major defence deals, valued over $10 billion.
India plans to purchase 26 Rafale-M fighter jets for its Navy’s aircraft carriers.
India will acquire three additional Scorpene-class conventional submarines.
Both deals are expected to be presented to India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for approval soon.
Prime Minister Modi is expected to visit Paris in February for the AI Summit, where both deals may be finalized.
The Rafale deal includes 22 single-seater and 4 twin-seater jets, filling a gap until India’s own deck-based fighter is ready.
The Scorpene deal is a repeat order with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, to help replace an aging fleet.
Rafale Jet
The Dassault Rafale is a 4.5 generation, twin-engine, delta wing, multirole fighter manufactured by the French company Dassault Aviation.
It has a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 and a combat radius of 1000+ km.
Rafale's advanced avionics provide superior situational awareness and survivability.
The Rafale has a sleek aerodynamic design with optimum wing loading, low drag, and relaxed stability for enhanced maneuverability.
The delta wing configuration offers a high lift-to-drag ratio.
Canards provide added lift and allow short take-offs.
Key avionics equipment is the RBE2 AESA radar, front sector optronics, discrete omnidirectional warning system, and the advanced SPECTRA electronic warfare system.
These provide comprehensive, real-time situational awareness to the pilot.
It is powered by 2 SNECMA M88 turbofan engines, providing a dry thrust of 50 kN and 75 kN with afterburners.
This delivers supercruise (supersonic flight without afterburners) capability.
14 hardpoints can carry external payloads up to 9500 kg.
Rafale Variants
Rafale C: The single-seat Air Force variant has 75% fleet availability and is designed for high mission reliability.
Rafale B: The twin-seat variant for training and enhanced situational awareness. It retains the combat capabilities of the C model.
Rafale M: The naval variant is optimized for carrier operations with a reinforced nose and tail and specially designed landing gear. It equips the French Navy's aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle.
Additionally, the Rafale N is a dedicated nuclear strike variant, while the Rafale R is reserved for technology development.
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