India’s new generation Dassault Rafale combat aircraft will provide its Air Force not just with a fast and agile modern fighter but one that comes armed with a highly potent set of weapons from MBDA, unrivalled by any of India’s neighbours.
The most powerful among these weapons is the Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile, widely recognised as a “game changer” in air combat. The Meteor is powered by a unique rocket-ramjet motor that gives this missile far more engine power, far much longer range than any other missile, which means it can fly faster, fly longer and manoeuvre more than any other missile extant, giving Meteor the ability to chase down and destroy agile hostile fighters at the furthest of ranges.
India’s Rafales will also be equipped with the SCALP deep-strike cruise missile also from MBDA. In combat, this stealthy weapon has repeatedly proven its unerring ability to strike and destroy hardened and protected targets deep inside hostile territory, without need for the Rafale to enter inimical airspace. SCALP’s operational effectiveness is the result of three key factors: its high survivability owing to its long stand-off range, low observability and sophisticated mission planning system; its pinpoint terminal accuracy through its highly accurate seeker and target recognition system and its terminal effectiveness provided by the powerful tandem warhead and multiple detonation modes.
The IAF’s Rafales will also be armed with the MICA, an air-to-air missile the Indian Air Force knows very well as it is also part of the upgrade package for the IAF’s Mirage 2000 aircraft. MICA is the only missile in the world featuring two interoperable seekers (active radar and imaging infrared) to cover the spectrum from close-in dogfight to long beyond visual range. Its ability to fly out to BVR in passive mode before the seeker locks on in the final stages of the end game has earned it the nickname of ‘silent killer’ as the target has little time to react or to deploy effective countermeasures.
Apart from the new weapons for the Rafale and Mirage 2000, the IAF is also receiving ASRAAM from MBDA as a key part of the IAF’s Jaguar upgrade programme. The ASRAAM has a larger and more powerful rocket motor than other missiles in its class, giving pilots a key ‘first shot first kill’ capability to take uncertainty out of a potential dogfight. ASRAAM is also providing the IAF’s Jaguar fleet with a step-change in air combat performance as part of the New Generation Close Combat Missile programme.
MBDA’s Mistral missile has also been selected and integrated into the ATAM helicopter launch system for India’s ALH and LCH helicopters. The Mistral ATAM system offers a high level of performance with unrivalled kill probability and with its fire-and-forget functionality, has a high ease of operation for very low crew workload.
MBDA has been working with the Indian industry for over 50 years in close partnership to build missile technologies in India, with over 40,000 MBDA missiles now having been produced in India. Recently, the formation of L&T MBDA Missile Systems Ltd., a joint venture between Larsen & Toubro and MBDA will see further development of Indian defence capabilities in the missile sector. Larsen & Toubro are already part of MBDA’s global supply chain on several missiles, including the MICA and ASRAAM, and now looking to enhance India’s missile industry’s capabilities further through engagement in other major new missile programmes for India’s Armed Forces.
Courtesy: MBDA