RAFALE - A CASE STUDY

DASSAULT RAFALE

The Dassault Rafale litterally meaning the "gust of wind" and "burst of Fire" in a more military sense is a twin engine, multi role french fighter aircraft .It is built by Dassault Aviation.It is equipped with a wide range of weapons. It is able to perform air supremacy,aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in deepth air strikes and anti ship strike and nuclear deterrence missions.

In the late 1970s the french airforce and french navy were seeking to replace their old fleet of aircraft with a new generation high tech fighter aircraft.In order to reduce their efforts and cost of the fighter aircraft. France came into an arrangement with united kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain in order to produce an new generation aircraft. After series of developmental Projects. This arrangement came up with a new generation aircraft , The Eurofighter Typhoon.Subsequent disagreements over workshare and differing requirements led to France's pursuit of its own development programme.

COMING UP OF RAFALE

After the Disagreement. Dassault Avaiation Built a technology demonstrator which first flew in July 1986 as a part an eight year flight test programme paving its future path. The rafale is a distinct fighter aircraft from the other european aircrafts as it is built entirely by a single country France involving the major Defence contractors, such as dassault , Thales and Safran.At the time of the Rafale A's maiden flight, France entered unsuccessful talks with Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway about a possible collaboration on the Rafale as a multinational project; at the time, Belgium was reportedly interested in the Rafale B. In June 1987, Prime Minister Jacques chirac declared that the country would proceed with the US$30 billion project. Subsequently, on 21 April 1988, the French government awarded Dassault a contract for four Rafale prototypes: one Rafale C, two Rafale Ms and one Rafale B. The first out of an expected 330 Rafales was scheduled to enter service in 1996.

UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE AIRCRAFT

The French Airforce had requirements for a new generation aircraft which could replace the old aircrafts which were after to go out of service. Their requirements were a aircraft which could attack Air to Air, Air to Ground and fly all day and in adverse weather conditions. 

1. TWIN ENGINE AIRCRAFT

2. METEOR Long Range Air to Air Missiles

3. High Accuracy Laser Guided Bombs

4. Anti Ship Missile

5. Ability to fly for long durations

6. 4.5 Generation Aircraft

RAFALE GAMECHANGER FOR DASSAULT

After Some Successful years with the french airforce and navy many more countries showed their intrest in the 4.5 Generation aircraft rafale.

EGYPT

In november 2014 Egypt was reported in talks with france to purchase 24 to 36 rafales subjecting to a financial agreement.

After series of talks with france on 16 feb 2015 EGYPT became the first international customer of the rafale finalising the deal of 24 rafales including missiles worth US $5.9 Billion. The order comprised of 8 single seat models and 16 double seat models.In June 2016, Egypt started negotiations with Dassault to acquire 12 additional Rafales, intending to exercise an option of the first contract. An Egyptian delegation visited France in November 2017 for negotiations.

QATAR

Starting in 2011, the Qatar Emiri Air Force evaluated the Rafale alongside the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the Boeing F-15E, the Eurofighter Typhoon, and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II to replace its Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fleet. In June 2014, Dassault claimed it was close to signing a contract with Qatar for 72 Rafales.On 30 April 2015, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani announced to French President François Hollande that Qatar would order 24 Rafale with an option to buy 12 more aircraft. On 4 May, a €6.3 billion ($7.02 billion) contract for 24 Rafales was finalised; additionally, the contract included the provision of long-range cruise missiles and Meteor missiles as well as the training of 36 Qatari pilots and 100 technicians by the French military and several Qatari intelligence officers; thus, the price can be viewed as €263M for each aircraft. On 7 December 2017, the option for 12 more Rafales was exercised for €1.1 billion (or €92M each) while adding an additional option for 36 further fighters. The first Qatari Rafale was delivered in February 2019.

India

The Rafale was one of the six aircraft competing in the Indian MRCA competition for 126 multirole fighters. Originally, the Mirage 2000 had been considered for the competition, but Dassault withdrew it in favour of the Rafale. In February 2011, French Rafales flew demonstrations in India, including air-to-air combat against Su-30MKIs. In April 2011, the Indian Air Force (IAF) shortlisted the Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon for the US$10.4 billion contract. On 31 January 2012, the IAF announced the Rafale as the preferred bidder. It was proposed that 18 Rafales would be supplied to the IAF by 2015 in fly-away condition, while the remaining 108 would be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in India under transfer of technology agreements.The contract for 126 Rafales, services, and parts may have been worth up to US$20 billion.

The deal stalled due to disagreements over production in India. Dassault refused to take responsibility for the 108 HAL-manufactured Rafales, holding reservations over HAL's ability to accommodate the aircraft's complex manufacturing and technology transfers; instead, Dassault said it would have to negotiate two separate production contracts by both companies. The Indian Defence Ministry instead wanted Dassault to be solely responsible for the sale and delivery of all 126 aircraft.In May 2013, The Times of India reported that negotiations were "back on track", with plans for the first 18 Rafales to be delivered in 2017.Another point of contention was a provision where Dassault was to reinvest 50 percent of the deal's earnings into India's defence sectors, either through purchases or technological expertise. In March 2014, the two sides reportedly agreed that the first 18 Rafales would be delivered to India in flying condition and that the remaining 108 would be 70 percent built by HAL.By December 2014, India and France reportedly expected to sign a contract by March 2015.

In April 2015, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris, India requested the rapid delivery of 36 Rafales in a fly-away condition. Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar stated that these will be inducted into the IAF within two years. India officially withdrew the 126-aircraft MMRCA tender on 30 July 2015. Shortly after, India and France missed the July target to finalise the 36-aircraft agreement. The previously-agreed-upon terms in April totaled US$8 billion for 36 aircraft costing $200 million each, with an offset requirement of 30 percent of the deal's value to be reinvested in India's defence sector and create infrastructure for Rafale operations. India insisted on a 50 percent offset and two bases, which France said would increase costs and require separate infrastructure and two sets of maintenance, training and armament storage facilities.In January 2016, the Indian government directed the Indian Navy to be briefed by Dassault on the navalised Rafale for its aircraft carriers, promoting logistics and spares commonalities between Navy and Air Force fighters.Dassault CEO Eric Trappier stated that the Indian Navy may order up to 57 Rafales. On 23 September 2016, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian signed a €7.8 billion contract for 36 off-the-shelf Rafales with an option for 18 more at the same inflation-adjusted price.The first Rafales were expected to be delivered by 2019, and India is set to have all 36 within six years.The deal includes weapons and spares, which included Meteor BVRAAM missiles.India considered ordering 36 more Rafales around August 2017 amid tensions with China.

The Indian National Congress raised an issue over Dassault partnering with Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence, now known as Reliance Naval and Engineering Limited(R-Naval), a private company with no aviation experience, instead of the state owned HAL. Allegedly, Dassault was not given a choice and was compelled to select Reliance Defence as its partner; Gandhi alleged that it was favouritism and corruption. Both the French government and Dassault issued a press release stating it was Dassault's decision to choose Reliance Defence.Party spokesperson Manish Tewari asked for the agreement's details to be made public and questioned if there was an escalation of per-aircraft cost from ₹7.15 billion to ₹16 billion.In November 2018, Congress alleged that procurement procedures were bypassed in the Rafale's acquisition. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) case was filed in the Supreme Court for an independent probe into the Rafale procurement. On 14 December 2018, based on all pricing details along with finalising steps, the Apex Court dismissed all petitions, stating it found no irregularities in the buy; Reliance Defence reportedly was set to receive just over 3 per cent of the Rs 30,000-crore of offsets, contrary to the impression that it was to be the biggest beneficiary of the Rafale deal.

In March 2019, Indian government officials asked for Rafales to replace ageing MiG-21s and to counter Pakistan's newer F-16s.Ahead of the first Rafale's formal hand over on 8 October 2019, The Indian Air Force Day 2019, the IAF accepted the aircraft at Dassault's Bordeaux manufacturing facility in an event attended by Defence minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart; it had tail number "RB-001" to mark IAF chief-designate Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria's role in the 2016 deal.

In 2018, it was reported that the Rafale is competing against several other aircraft in a new procurement tender for 114 multi-role combat aircraft, which is referred as MMRCA 2.0 in the Indian media.

Delivery of 36 Rafales started on 27 July 2020 with first 5 Rafales delivered to Indian Airforce from France.

Potential operators

Analysts view the relatively quick series of 84orders from Egypt and Qatar as being influenced by the Arab Spring and uncertainty of US involvement in the Middle East.

Finland

In June 2015, a working group set up by the Finnish MoD proposed starting the so-called HX program to replace the Finnish Air Force's current fleet of F/A-18 Hornets. The group recognises five potential types: Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and Saab JAS 39 Gripen.

In December 2015 Finnish MoD sent a letter to Great Britain, France, Sweden and the United States where it informed that the fighter project was launched in the Defence Forces. The goal of the project is to replace the Hornet fleet, which will be decommissioned as of 2025, with multi-role fighters. Dassault Rafale is mentioned in the letter as a potential fighter for the program. The project has been named as HX Fighter Program.The request for information concerning the program was sent in early 2016; the five responses were received in November 2016. A call for tender will be sent in spring 2018 and the buying decision is scheduled to take place in 2021.

Malaysia

The Rafale was a contender for the replacement of the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF) Mikoyan MiG-29, with a requirement to equip three squadrons with 36 to 40 new fighter aircraft with an estimated budget of RM6 billion to RM8 billion (US$1.84 billion to US$2.46 billion). The other competitors for the program were the Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing F/A-18/F Super Hornet and Saab JAS 39 Gripen.In July 2017, the plan to acquire new jet fighters was suspended with the Royal Malaysian Air Force looking instead to buy new maritime patrol aircraft and advanced trainers with light attack capabilities to confront the growing threat of Islamist militants in the Southeast Asian region.

Switzerland

In February 2007, it was reported that Switzerland was considering the Rafale and other fighters to replace its ageing Northrop F-5 Tiger IIs.A one-month evaluation started in October 2008 at Emmen Airforce Base, consisting of approximately 30 evaluation flights; the Rafale, along with the JAS 39 Gripen and the Typhoon, were evaluated.Although a leaked Swiss Air Force evaluation report revealed that the Rafale won the competition on technical grounds,on 30 November 2011, the Swiss Federal Council announced that plans to buy 22 Gripen NGs due to the its lower acquisition and maintenance costs.Due to a referendum, this purchase never happened.

In March 2018, Swiss officials named contenders in its Air 2030 program: The Saab Gripen, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin F-35.In October 2018, the Swiss Air Force was reportedly limited to buying a single-engine fighter for budgetary reasons.In May 2019, the Rafale performed demonstration flights at Payerne Air Base for comparison against other bids.

United Arab Emirates

In 2009, the United Arab Emirates Air Force was interested in an upgraded version of the Rafale with more powerful engines and radar, and advanced air-to-air missiles. In October 2011, Dassault was confident that a US$10 billion deal for up to 60 Rafale aircraft would be signed. However, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Union Defence Force, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in November 2011 called the French offer "uncompetitive and unworkable"; France had in 2010 asked the UAE to pay US$2.6 billion of the total cost to upgrade the Rafale.Consequently, the UAE started to explore a purchase of the Eurofighter Typhoon or the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

The newspaper La Tribune reported in February 2012, that the UAE was still considering the US$10-billion deal for 60 Rafales. Interoperability among the Gulf air forces has led to renewed interest in the Rafale from Qatar and Kuwait.In January 2013, President Hollande stated that he would be discussing the potential sale of Rafale to the UAE during an official visit.In December 2013, it was announced that UAE had decided not to proceed with a deal for the supply of defence and security services, including the supply of Typhoon aircraft.In September 2014 it was announced that the UAE could acquire 40 Rafales in addition to upgrades to its existing Mirage 2000s.In November 2015, Reuters reported that Major General Ibrahim Nasser Al Alawi, commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, had confirmed that the UAE was in final negotiations to purchase 60 Rafales.In 2019 a series of Rafale F3-R trials were conducted at Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE.

Other

Spain is looking for 68-72 fighters to replace its F/A-18A/B Hornets. Possible participants in the tender will be the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, Boeing F/A-18 E/F Advanced Super Hornet and Lockheed F-35 Lightning II.

In January 2020, the Indonesian government expressed some interest in buying up to 48 Rafales to modernise its air force.

Failed bids

The Rafale has been marketed for export to various countries. Various commentators and industry sources have highlighted the high cost of the aircraft as detrimental to the Rafale's sales prospects. Its acquisition cost is roughly US$100 million (2010),while its operational cost hovers around US$16,500 (2012) for every flight-hour.The Saab JAS Gripen, in comparison, costs only US$4,700 per flight-hour to operate.According to a 2009 article by the Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis, unlike the American government and its relationship with Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the lack of communication between the French government and Dassault has hampered a worldwide cooperative sales effort, as demonstrated by the case with Morocco in 2007.

Belgium

France offered economic and technology partnerships in its bid for the Rafale to replace Belgium's fleet of 34 aging F-16A/B MLU fighters starting in 2023 as part of the air combat capability successor program. Other competitors were the Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-35.On 25 October 2018, Belgium selected the offer for 34 F-35As to replace around 54 F-16s; government officials stated that the decision came down to price and that "The offer from the Americans was the best in all our seven valuation criteria"; the total purchasing price for the aircraft and support until 2030 totaled €4 billion, €600 million cheaper than the initial budget of €4.6 billion.

Brazil

In June 2008, the Brazilian Air Force issued a request for information on the following aircraft: F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-16 Fighting Falcon, Rafale, Su-35, Gripen NG and Eurofighter Typhoon.In October 2008, the service selected three finalists for F-X2 – Dassault Rafale, Gripen NG and Boeing F/A-18E/F.On 5 January 2010, media reports stated that the final evaluation report by the Brazilian Air Force placed the Gripen ahead of the other two contenders based on unit and operating costs.In February 2011, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff had reportedly decided in favour of the F/A-18.After delays due to budget constraints, in December 2013, the Brazilian government selected the Gripen NG in a US$5 billion deal to equip the air force.

Canada

The Rafale was amongst various fighters proposed to meet Canada's need to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force's McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet fleet.In 2005, according to Canada.com, a report compiled by Canada's Defence Department reviewing several aircraft noted concerns over the Rafale's interoperability with US forces; Dassault had also then been unable to confirm engine performance during cold weather conditions.In July 2010, the Canadian government announced the CF-18's replacement would be the F-35; the nation was already a partner in the Joint Strike Fighter program since 1997 and a Tier 3 partner for the F-35 since 2002.In December 2012, the Canadian government announced that the F-35 purchase had been abandoned due to cost rises and that a fresh procurement process would begin.In January 2013, Dassault responded to a Canadian request for information, announcing its readiness to enter the competition.Various aircraft were considered to meet the requirement, including the F-35.In January 2014, Dassault reportedly offered a contract with full transfer of technology, allowing Canada to perform its own support and upgrades, thereby lowering long-term service costs.In November 2018, Dassault withdrew from the competition, reportedly due to extensive interoperability and intelligence sharing requirements, particularly with U.S. forces, complicated by France's lack of involvement in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing community.

Kuwait

In February 2009, French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that Kuwait was considering buying up to 28 Rafales.In October 2009, during a visit to Paris, the Kuwaiti Defence Minister expressed interest in the Rafale and said that he was awaiting Dassault's terms.Islamist lawmakers in the Kuwaiti national assembly threatened to block such a purchase, accusing the Defence Minister of lack of transparency and being manipulated by business interests.In January 2012, the French Defence Minister said that both Kuwait and Qatar were waiting to see if the UAE first purchased the Rafale and that Kuwait would look to buy 18–22 Rafales.However, on 11 September 2015, Eurofighter announced that an agreement had been reached with Kuwait to buy 28 Typhoons.

Libya

In January 2007, the French newspaper Journal du Dimanche reported that Libya sought 13 to 18 Rafales "in a deal worth as much as US$3.24 billion".In December 2007, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi declared Libya's interest in the Rafale, but no order was placed. French Rafales later attacked targets in Libya as part of the international military intervention during the 2011 Libyan civil war.

Singapore

In 2005, the Republic of Singapore Air Force embarked on its Next Generation Fighter (NGF) programme to replace its fleet of ageing A-4SU Super Skyhawks. A number of options were considered and the Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA) conducted a detailed technical assessment, as well as simulations and other tests to determine the final selection. Following this, the original list of competitors was reduced to the final two – Dassault Rafale and the F-15SG Strike Eagle. In December 2005, Singapore ordered 12 F-15SG aircraft.According to Defense Industry Daily, one major reason for the selection was that, while the Rafale had superior aerodynamics, it lacked the range and a capable radar, and had insufficient weapons and sensor integration.

Other

In 2002, the Republic of Korea Air Force chose the F-15K Slam Eagle over the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Sukhoi Su-35 for its 40 aircraft F-X Phase 1 fighter competition.

During 2006, while there was potentially trouble with Anglo-American negotiations over the F-35 Lightning II, there was talk of purchasing the Rafale M for Britain's Royal Navy.However, in May 2012, after having abandoned the F-35B STOVL version in favour of the F-35C CATOBAR variant in October 2010, the UK reverted to purchasing the F-35B.

In late 2007, La Tribune reported that a prospective US$2.85 billion sale to Morocco had fallen through, the government selecting the F-16C/D instead.While French Defense Minister Herve Morin labelled it as overly sophisticated and too costly, defense analysists have said that miscalculations of the DGA's offer price and hesitations over financing were detrimental to the negotiations.

In February 2009, France offered Rafales to Oman to replace its ageing fleet of SEPECAT Jaguars.In December 2012, Oman placed an order for 12 Typhoons.

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 or 2
• Length: 15.27 m (50 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 10.90 m (35 ft 9 in)
• Height: 5.34 m (17 ft 6 in)
• Wing area: 45.7 m² (492 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 10,300 kg (22,708 lb) (B)

9,850 kilograms (21,720 lb) (C)

10,600 kilograms (23,400 lb) (M)

• Gross weight: 15,000 kg (33,069 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 24,500 kg (54,013 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 4,700 kg (10,362 lb) internal for single-seater (C); 4,400 kg (9,700 lb) for two-seater (B)
• Maximum fuel: (C): 16,550 l (4,370 US gal; 3,640 imp gal) (5,750 l (1,520 US gal; 1,260 imp gal) internal + 2,300 l (610 US gal; 510 imp gal) in 2x conformal tanks + 8,500 l (2,200 US gal; 1,900 imp gal) in 5 drop tanks)
• Powerplant: 2 × Snecma M88-2 turbofans, 50.04 kN (11,250 lbf) thrust each  dry, 75 kN (17,000 lbf) with afterburner

Performance

• Maximum speed: 2,223 km/h (1,381 mph, 1,200 kn) / Mach 1.8 at high altitude

1,390 km/h, 860 mph, 750 kn / Mach 1.1 at low altitude

• Supercruise:Mach 1.4
• Combat range: 1,850 km (1,150 mi, 1,000 nmi) on penetration mission with three tanks (5,700 L), two SCALP-EG and two MICA AAMs.
• Ferry range: 3,700 km (2,300 mi, 2,000 nmi) with 3 drop tanks
• Service ceiling: 15,835 m (51,952 ft)
• g limits: +9 −3.6 (+11 in emergencies)
• Rate of climb: 304.8 m/s (60,000 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 328 kg/m² (67 lb/sq ft)
• Thrust/weight: 0.988 (100% fuel, 2 EM A2A missile, 2 IR A2A missile) version B

Armament

• Guns: 1× 30 mm (1.2 in) GIAT 30/M791 autocannon with 125 rounds
• Hardpoints: 14 for Air Force versions (Rafale B/C), 13 for Navy version (Rafale M) with a capacity of 9,500 kg (20,900 lb) external fuel and ordnance,with provisions to carry combinations of:
  • Missiles:
    
  • Air-to-air:
    • Magic II
    • MBDA MICA IR or EM
    • MBDA Meteor
  • Air-to-ground:
    • MBDA Apache
    • MBDA Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG
    • AASM-Hammer (SBU-38/54/64)
    • GBU-12 Paveway II, GBU-22 Paveway III, GBU-24 Paveway III, GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II
    • AS-30L
    • Mark 82
  • Air-to-surface:
    • MBDA AM 39-Exocet anti-ship missile
  • Nuclear Deterrence:
    • ASMP-A nuclear missile
  • Other:
    
    • Thales Damocles targeting pod
    • Thales AREOS (Airborne Recce Observation System) reconnaissance pod
    • Thales TALIOS multi-function targeting pod in the future (F3R Standard)
    • Up to 5 drop tanks
    • Buddy-buddy refuelling pod