India’s Rafale fighter jets: Here’s everything from speed to weapon capabilities

Source: Indian Express

News

• The first five Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale aircraft have arrived at Air Force Station, Ambala.

Rafale fighter jets 

• The five Rafale fighter jets  will resurrect the Number 17 Golden Arrows squadron of the Indian Air Force.
• It will take the IAF’s squadron strength to 31. When all the 36 Rafale jets are delivered by 2022, it will take it to 32 squadrons, still well below the 42 squadrons of the sanctioned strength.
• 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.
• 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. Rafale can also outperform F16 in dogfights.
• The Rafale jets also come with SCALP, the air-to-ground 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, close-quarter dogfights, 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.

Basic Rafale Specifications

• Wing span: 10.90 m
• Length: 15.30 m
• Height: 5.30 m
• Overall empty weight: 10 tonnes
• External load: 9.5 tonnes
• take-off weight: 24.5 tonnes
• Fuel (internal): 4.7 tonnes
• Fuel (external): up to 6.7 tonnes
• Ferry Range: 3,700 km
• Top Speed: 1.8 Mach at high altitude
• Landing ground run: 450 m (1,500 ft)
• Service ceiling: 50,000 ft