Rafale 11 things you didn't know France Rajnath Singh first jet Meteor Scalp unmatched air dominance

first rafale, india's first rafale, rajnath singh to receive first rafale jet in paris, france, abou — Rafale (File)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will receive first of the 36 Rafale jets in France on Tuesday. The aircraft has the most advanced weapons package comprising Meteor and Scalp missiles that will provide India unrivalled deep strike capability and air dominance in the region. Rajnath Singh will receive the first Rafale jet at an air base in Paris, three years after India sealed the mega-deal for procurement of the aircraft manufactured by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation. Here are 11 things you didn't know about Rafale:

Rafale is categorised as a 4.5 generation aircraft for its radar-evading stealth profile. Rafale will be a game changer for the Indian Air Force since most of the aircraft in its inventory - including the Mirage 2000 and the Su-30 Mkl - are classified as either third - or fourth generation fighters.
India will only be the fourth country to fly the Rafale. The other three are France, Egypt and Qatar.
The initials of the air chief RB-01 have been imprinted on the tail fin of the first Rafale jet that India is set to receive in honour of the key role that he played in the negotiations on behalf of India.
The Rafale jets are equipped with a wide range of weapons. Rafale is designed to carry out air dominance, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence missions.
Rafale, with its 10-tonne empty weight, is fitted with 14 hardpoints. Five of them are capable of drop tanks and heavy ordnance.
Rafale has a total external load capacity of more than 9 tonnes. This means that the Rafale can lift the equivalent of its own empty weight in payloads.
MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the 36 Rafale jets being procured by India at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. Meteor is known to be the best beyond visual range missile in the world while Scalp is a deep strike weapon.
Meteor is a next generation of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden. The Rafale, with these two missiles, will help India achieve unmatched air dominance in the region.
Guided by an advanced active radar seeker, Meteor provides all weather capability to engage a wide variety of targets from fast jets to small unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles.
The Scalp is an air-launched long range deep strike missile, designed to deal with pre-planned attacks against high value fixed or stationary targets. Scalp has been part of the UK's Royal Air Force and the French Air Force and was used in the Gulf War.
Besides the missile systems, the Rafale jets will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems among others.