The conclusion of the deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets is a welcome step to augment the capabilities of the Indian Air Force but the number is too small for logistical and operational reasons, say experts.
They also agreed that until India can build its own aircraft, the increasing diversity in the fleet cannot be addressed, another cause of concern for the IAF.
India and France signed the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) on Friday, ending negotiations for the direct purchase which began after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the direct purchase in April 2015.
Just 2 squadrons in serviceThe deal, interestingly, does not have an optional clause, which means the IAF will have just two squadrons in service.
“India needed a potent deep penetration aircraft for diverse roles and we decided that 36 were enough,” one defence official observed on the rationale.
Air Vice Marshal Amit Aneja (retired) said the deal was long overdue as “time has a premium” but questioned the rationale of only 36 aircraft as “it is not a sustainable number for a viable force of such a platform.” “There will also be sub-utilisation of the skills developed by the workforce due to the limited numbers,” he noted.
“The Mirage deal was a success story and that should have served as a template,” the former Mirage pilot added. India has in batches procured three squadrons of Mirage 2000 fighters from France.
Cost of customisationThe deal for 36 aircraft is valued at € 7.87 bn or about Rs. 1,630 crore per plane and it included the spares, weapons, maintenance and performance guarantee for five years.
Air Marshal M. Matheswaran, former Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, observed that the Rafale was an exceptional aircraft in a multirole capability but conceded that it was a relatively expensive aircraft.
The average cost of the basic aircraft is € 91 million or about Rs. 680 crore and the 36 jets include 28 single and eight trainer variants.
Air Marshal Matheswaran observed that India had a lot of technological requirements that it wanted incorporated, which would push up the cost as it involved design change.
“€8 bn looks huge on the face of it but the increase in cost is because of two things, significant weapons package and the customisation,” he told The Hindu on Saturday.
Of the € 7.87 bn, about € 1.7 bn alone has been earmarked for India-specific modifications, he stated.
However, he observed that the original Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender was cleared for $ 10.5 bn for 126 aircraft and stated that the French Air Force acquired its first Rafale at € 55 million per aircraft.
To look for cheaper optionAir Marshal Matheswaran said the IAF had a need for 200 aircraft of this type but the government had decided that this was what we could afford and now would look for another cheaper option to fill the remaining numbers.
One retired officer observed that the deal seems to have been guided more by “political prudence than operational requirements.”
