At a Glance: Rafale fighter aircraft which could be India's frontline MMRCA

New Delhi: India is emerging as one of the most rapidly developing economies of the world. India needs to strengthen its air defence since it's an utmost requirement in today's competitive world. India has got hostile neighbours and has gone to war with them in the past. Modernization of Indian Air Force is something that is needed urgently. Realizing the necessity to have a modern air force which can face the new challenges of time, the government of India is trying to finalise the purchase of 126 Rafale Aircrafts from France. It is one of the biggest defence deal that the Indian Government has inked with any foreign company .Let us take a look on this flying machine which is going to be the backbone of Indian Air force as Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA)... Rafale is a twin-jet combat aircraft which is capable of moving out a wide range of short and long-range assignments, including ground and sea attacks, reconnaissance, high-accuracy strikes and nuclear strike avoidance.The aircraft were developed for the French Air Force and Navy. France's Air Force and Navy ordered 180 (132 for the air force and 48 for the navy), 100 aircraft had been delivered by the end of 2010.The Rafale entered into service with the French Navy in 2004 and with the French Air Force in 2006. Rafale become known as the favored aircraft from among various competitors for what is being called the biggest military aviation contract in the world. A huge amount of money is involved in acquisition of these French aircrafts from its maker Dassault aviation. According to the report, when the tender was first proposed in 2007, the cost of the programme was $12 billion (Rs 42,000 crore).When Dassault Rafale was declared the lowest bidder in January 2012, the cost of the deal rose to $18 billion (Rs 90,000 crore). Now with the addition of transfer of technology, life cycle costs and establishment of an assembly line, the cost of the contract has climbed to a enormous $20 billion. Rafale has been outfitted with modern warfare technology. It is also called a multi-purpose fighter as it is useful in both air defence and air warfare.It can also be used for nuclear attacks. The circumstances which will be arising after phasing out of Mig 21 fighters, which is due in coming years. MIG series fighters are being phased out in the Indian Air Force.There are hundreds of such fighters in the fleet and their time for withdrawal has come. The crisis of India's air defence can be understood from the fact that the IAF has an approved strength of 45 fighter jet squadrons but only 30 of them are operational.The government chose Rafale as the latest fighter for the Indian Air Force around three years ago after it appeared on top by defeating five other competitors in technical evaluations.Dassault also turned out to be the lowest bidder, compared to the F-18 Super Hornet, F-16, Eurofighter, Gripen and MiG-35. Rafale was preferred because of lower costs, and the Indian Air Force's acquaintance with French warplanes such as the Mirage.In French, 'Rafale' poetically means a 'sudden gust of wind.'Dassault's Rafale jet is a 9.5-10.5 ton aircraft controlled by 2 SNECMA M88 jet engines, each generating up to 16,500 pounds propel with afterburner. The cockpit has hands-on throttle and stick control (HOTAS). The cockpit is equipped with a heads-up, wide-angle holographic display from Thales Avionique, which provides aircraft control data, mission data and firing cues.A collimated, multi-image head-level display presents tactical situation and sensor data, while two touch-screen lateral displays show the aircraft system parameters and mission data.The pilot also has a helmet-mounted sight and display. A CCD camera and on-board recorder records the image of the head-up display throughout the mission.The Rafale has been used in combat over Afghanistan, Libya, and Mali; features such as the SPECTRA integrated defensive aids system have been crucial advantages in these theatres.