Why Rafale jets may be inducted into IAF by next summer only
NEW DELHI : Come October and India should be receiving the first of 36 French-built Rafale aircraft that the Air Force has long been waiting for.
The “multi-role” or “omnirole” aircraft—as the manufacturer Dassault Aviation calls it—aims to add teeth to the capabilities of the Indian Air Force, given its reputation of being the best 4+ generation fighter jet. Its capabilities include air-defence or air-superiority, it can be flown on reconnaissance missions and give close air support; it can undertake air-to-ground precision strikes, carry nuclear and conventional payloads, used for anti-ship attacks and allows re-fuelling between two Rafale aircraft without having to wait for mid-air refuelling tankers.
So, once the handover happens—at Dassault’s Merignac facility in the southwestern province of Bordeaux— how will the aircraft get to India? And why does India have to wait till April or May next year to see the Rafale fly over its skies?
