IAF to get first Rafale: Here is what this fighter jet is capable of

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to receive first of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a facility of Dassault Aviation in Bordeaux, France on Tuesday. This is set to give a big boost to Indian Air Force (IAF). At present, India has fighter jets such as Sukhoi Su-30MKI, MiG 29, Mir-2000 and indigeusly built Tejas.  Rafale is a Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), manufactured and designed by Dassault Aviation. It is kwn for its speed, weapon holding capacity and attack capability. Apart from India, countries like Qatar and Egypt alrey have Rafale jets.

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Importance in Indian context

 Rafale is powered by two SNECMA M88 engines, which helps it attain a high speed of 1,912 km per hour and a range of more than 3,700 km. It also has a Martin-Baker Mark 16F ‘zero-zero’ ejection seat, capable of operating at zero speed and altitude. Equipped with AESA rar, SPECTRA Electronic Warfare System and IRST system, Rafale is categorized as a 4.5 generation aircraft. This is invaluable as IAF currently has only third and fourth generation fighter jets. However, its biggest vant is its capability of delivering nuclear weapons.

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ditionally, Meteor is a game-changing missile on-board. This implies that an Indian Rafale jet will be able to shoot down an enemy aircraft over 100 km away without even crossing air . Weighing 1,300 kg, ar key element is  Scalp long-range air-to-ground stand-off cruise missile, that can strike 600 km into enemy territory. Moreover, it is expected that  BrahMos NG missiles would be integrated with  Rafale. Israeli Litening pod will improve ser commonality across IAF inventory. Some of or India-specific modifications include rar warning receivers, low band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems. 

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Proven ability 

 Rafale has proved to be extremely vital in many conflicts over last 13 years. French Air Force was involved in multiple operations in Afghanistan and Libya, where  Rafale fighter jets were used. Similarly, y played a key role in Mali, helping destroy enemy infrastructure. By remaining airborne for 9 hours and 35 minutes in one such operation conducted by France, ability of  Rafale aircraft clearly comes to fore. Most recently, it was utilized in peace-keeping operations in Central African Republic.  

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