E nding months of speculation, India has finally selected Rafale as the best aircraft tailor-made to meet its requirements for at least the next decade and replace its ageing fleet of MiGs.

The Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft RFP caps a process that began in 2001, when the Indian Air Force sent out its request for information for 126 jets.





The IAF currently has 30-32 squadrons worth of serviceable aircraft, depending on which report one reads. This is well below their target of 391/2. And the overall squadron strength is projected to plunge to 27 between 2012-2017.

Dassault's Rafale jet is a 9.5-10.5 ton aircraft powered by 2 SNECMA M88 jet engines, each generating up to 16,500 pounds thrust with afterburner. Canards are used to improve manoeuvrability, especially for snap-shots in short-range dogfights, and radar shaping lowers the aircraft's profile relative to 4th generation competitors like the Mirage 2000 or F-16.

The fourth generation debate is where the critics of Rafale take flight.

Compiled by Vipin Vijayan