By A.Y. Tipnis March 09, 2019 15:02 IST
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The
Rafale outranks contemporary fighters—except Lockheed Martin’s F-35—in most parameters of operational capabilities, safety features and ease of operation/ training/ maintenance. The Rafale gives 'bang for the buck', if its entire life cycle performance is considered. If our experience with the Mirage 2000 from the Dassault stable can be a guideline, there should be little doubt about the Rafale’s contractual obligations being proven in performance.
In aviation technology jargon, the IAF's last major acquisition, the Russian-origin Su-30MKI fighter, could be termed as a fourth generation aircraft. The Rafale, on the other hand, could be considered a fighter of the 4.5 to fifth generation. The
Rafale is streets ahead of the Su-30MKI with much smaller radar and infra-red signatures, making it harder to detect. Its electronic warfare systems allow for greater ranges of detection and neutralisation of threats. The Rafale offers a substantial increase in radius of action in air-to-air as well as air-to-ground roles, greater weapons load and more wing and fuselage stations (14 in total) to carry weapons and fuel tanks.
The Rafale has multi-sensor 'data fusion', which is the ability to collate and process information from multiple sensors to give the pilot a consolidated air situation 'map'. The data fusion capability is based on the Rafale's RBE-2 radar, front sector optronics (FSO) detection system, the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite and other systems.
SPECTRA provides a terrific enhancement to the IAF's ability to operate in highly 'dense' hostile environments where there is a heavy presence of anti-aircraft radars and weapons. SPECTRA not only allows the Rafale to detect and localise a threat against the aircraft, but also selects the most effective countermeasures against it.
The RBE-2 radar is capable of conducting
engagement of beyond-visual-range targets at distances beyond 100km. It is also capable of real-time generation of 2D and 3D maps for ultra low level flying in 'absolute' blind conditions, which is otherwise well nigh impossible. I had seen this capability being demonstrated when I flew a Rafale prototype.
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In addition to weapon systems and sensors, the Rafale will provide the IAF a huge leap forward in ease of maintenance. This includes the capability to replace engines in a matter of hours,
as opposed to the couple of days required to do the same for Russian aircraft . The Rafale comes with an integrated logistics support module that allows for monitoring of aircraft 'health' and usage, along with built-in testing facilities.
As it is an
easier aircraft to maintain than the Su-30MKI, the Rafale’s downtime is substantially lower; it can launch a greater number of sorties over a uniform period of time. The Rafale's automatic engine control system is highly reliable; it controls engine operation in case of malfunctions or damage in flight.
Armchair pundits claim that buying more Su-30MKI fighters would be a more cost-effective option than buying the Rafale. The Su-30MKI's technology is dated in all parameters. In addition, with respect to failure rates, reliability, sortie-generation capabilities and a host of other performance parameters,
the Su-30MKI ranks a poor second to even its predecessor in the IAF, the Mirage 2000. The Rafale is a quantum leap over the Mirage-2000.
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I believe the Rafale would be the clear winner of the IAF's new tender to buy 114 fighters, if value for money, and not lowest bid price, is the main criterion.
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