ind ia
CEREMONIAL INDUCTION OF RAFALE AIRCRAFT IN THE INDIAN AIR FORCE BOOSTING DEFENCE BI-LATERAL COOPERATION BETWEEN INDIA AND FRANCE
The formal induction ceremony of the Rafale ghter
jets began with a traditional 'Sarva Dharm puja' at the Ambala Air Force Station . The Defence Minister of India, Rajnath Singh and the Minister of the Armed Forces of France,Ms. Florence Parly, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria were present with Priests of many faiths to Bless the Jets.
Praying for the security of the nation and the success of the Rafale jets, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh & Christian priests narrated short prayers to bless the new jets
From Speed To Weapon Capabilities Of India’s Rafale Fighter Jets When all the 36 Rafale jets are delivered by 2022, India will have 32 squadrons, still well below the 42 squadrons of the sanctioned strength.
The ve Rafale jets, three single-seat and two twinseater trainers landed at the Ambala airbase on July 29 nearly four years after India signed an intergovernmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. The Government of India set on the Rafale jets due to its air superiority advantages and technical benets for the Indian Air Force operations. The Rafale jet is tted with 14 hard-points and 13 India-specic enhancements. Its total external load capacity is more than 9 tonnes. Hence, it can lift the equivalent of its own empty weight in payloads. Its loitering capacity is 1.5 times that of the Sukhoi. The range is 780 to 1055 km as against 400-550 km of a Sukhoi jet. Similarly, the Rafale jet can engage in 5 sorties per 24 hours against 3 by the Sukhoi. Moreover, the Rafale is powered by two SNECMA M88 engines, which helps it attain a range of more than 3,700 km. Having a top speed of 2223 km, it is equipped with laser-guided bombs weighing 900 kg. 2500 rounds per minute can be red from its internal cannon. Rafale considered as a 4.5 generation aircraft will now lead the IAF's ghter jets. Also, Rafale maintenance time per ight hour is 2.25 hours against 6-8 hrs for other ghters. Speaking about the Rafale, IAF chief Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria had backed the Rafale against China's untested F-35 knockoff J-20. 26 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
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The ve Rafale ghter jets that landed in Ambala will resurrect the Number 17 Golden Arrows squadron of the Indian Air Force. It will take the IAF’s squadron strength to 31. The state-of-the-art 4.5 Generation Rafale jet can reach almost double the speed of sound, with a top speed of 1.8 Mach. With its multi-role capabilities, including electronic warfare, air defence, ground support and in-depth strikes, the Rafale lends air superiority to the Indian Air Force. While China’s J20 Chengdu jets are called fth generation combat jets, compared to 4.5 generation Rafale, the J20 have no actual combat experience. Whereas the Rafale is combat proven, having been used by the French Air Force for its missions in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali. It has also been used for missions in Central African Republic, Iraq and Syria. Rafale can also carry more fuel and weapons than the J20. Each aircraft has 14 storage stations for weapons. The jets come with one of the most advanced Meteor air-to-air missiles. The 190-kg missile has a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) of over 100 km, traveling at a top speed of Mach 4. The F16 jets, used by Pakistan, carry the AMRAAM missile, which has a BVR of 75 km. Rafale can also outperform F16 in dogghts. The Rafale jets also come with SCALP, the air-toground cruise missile with a range over 300 km. It is a long-range deep strike missile. The MICA air-to-air missile on Rafale is for both, closequarter dogghts, and for BVR. At the last-minute, India has also asked for HAMMER (Highly Agile and Manoeuvrable Munition Extended Range), which is an air-to-ground precision guided missile produced by French conglomerate Safran, and can be used against bunker-type hardened targets within the range of 70 km. Speaking at the ceremony, the Defence Minister
