The rousing welcome given to Rafale planes in India could be matched only by the welcome given to the dames on winning the Miss Universe or Miss World titles. It has been the most celebrated arrival compared to any other fighter aircraft acquisition made by India. The reasons for such reception are two-fold.
The present Rafales have been purchased as a result of government-to-government agreement made at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As if presciently, these purchases were made to be delivered at the earliest. At the time, India did not want to lag behind other countries in terms of technology. Moreover, the operating conditions in the country were going to be different from the rest of the world, and therefore India needed and wanted these fighter aircraft to suit the conditions India. To mention one such change, these fighter aircraft have been upgraded by the French to start their engines at extreme cold temperatures. This and many other changes have ensured that the fighter aircraft which is delivered to India is best suited to its interests.
The Rafale, manufactured by the French, originally was a fourth-generation fighter. However, demands were made by India and complied with by the Dassault company, and the fourth generation fighter was made into 4.5. It is this technology gap which makes it superior to any fighter aircraft available with Pakistan or China. The Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, immediately started its vociferous obstruction to this deal, going up to the extent of knocking the Supreme Court’s doors. Till date, they continue to question the higher price. This obstructionist attitude, being adopted just for the sake of political mileage, delayed the entire project. Only when the Supreme Court gave its definitive judgement declaring that all was fine, could the country go ahead with the actual purchase. If this delay had not occurred, many more of these aircraft would have been delivered by now.
To the credit of the Modi government, despite manufactured dissent from the Opposition, it stuck to his stand and this became clear when even after facing these allegations regarding the Rafale purchase, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went ahead and purchased billions of dollars worth of latest platforms from the US. These platforms are now being equally eagerly awaited for their arrival. It is the determination and resolve shown by the political leadership and the capabilities of the Indian Army which has kept our borders safe.
PM Modi has also shown his diplomatic acumen by the manner in which he maintained relations with both Russia and the US; the two rivals have willingly provided the top-ofthe-line products to Indian Army. Gaining the trust of two countries much opposed to each other is no mean an achievement.
No one can deny that China not only has a huge stockpile of weapons, but also has the capacity to manufacture many more at a very short notice. This menace held out by China kept everyone treating it with deference even in the face of open imperialism and land grab. China is not a signatory to UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) 1982 and rather bases its claims in the South China Sea on history imagined by its own Politburo members. This has been reinforced by China at every step. The Philippines went in for international arbitration for its claim on the seas surrounding it. China never joined the proceedings and never accepted the award passed against it. None of the neighbours of China has been allowed to carry out any commercial activity within the area of the South China Sea which China believes to be its sovereign holding.
It is against this rapacious country that PM Modi took a stout stand and demonstrated to the world that the Chinese behemoth is not as invincible as it seems to be. In the present crisis, the message given out by the PM is that India does not covet lands or resources of any other country, but shall not cave in to injustice or intimidation. The confidence and justice inherent in the stand taken by him brought the entire world to the support of India.
Rafael manufactured for India is a multinational project. The Indian Rafale comes with an Israeli Lightening pod for sensor commonality across platforms in the Indian inventory. This pod is meant to acquire targets and thereupon fire some of the best missiles available in the world. The game-changing missile on-board the Rafale is the over Rs 20-crore worth Meteor air-to-air missile. Manufactured by European firm MBDA, the Meteor is a long-range rocket and ram-jet powered, and its integration into the Rafale weapon system brings about a paradigm shift in air-toair affairs since it has a range of over 150 km with a zero escape till distance of 120 km. The other missiles to be used are SCALP air-to-ground missile with a range of 300 km, HAMMER air-to-ground missile with a range of 70 km, and MICA air-to-air missile. There are other munitions which have also been made operational from Rafale.
It can carry out any mission and this versatility makes it superior to any other fighter craft already present with India. It can be successfully used for carrying out nuclear strike missions and the on-board avionics with helmet mounted sights and targeting system give the pilots lightening quick ability to shoot off weapons. Neither Pakistan nor China has any answer for this aircraft.
The writer is an advocate and president of Progressive Lawyers Forum.
