- In the presence of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, India will get the first Rafale fighter aircraft today, its arms will be worshiped in Paris.
- Fighter pilot Kishore Kumar Khera and defense expert Pushan Das told the Bhaskar APP the specialty of Rafael
- Pakistan's F-16s have more firepower and speed than Rafael, yet Rafale is a better fighter than it
- The F-16's radar system can detect 20 targets in a range of 84 km, it is behind the Rafale
Dainik Bhaskar
Oct 08, 2019, 04:07 PM IST
new Delhi. In the presence of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, India will get the first Rafale fighter aircraft from France on the occasion of Vijayadashami on Tuesday. However, it will visit India by May 2020. Till then the Indian Air Force pilots will take training to fly it in France itself. Former Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa recently said that after Rafale's arrival Pakistan would not try to come along the Line of Control and the International Border. To know its merits, the Bhaskar APP spoke to former Group Captain Kishore Kumar Khera, a fighter pilot of the Air Force and defense expert Pushan Das associated with the Observer Research Foundation. If Pakistan's F-16 is ahead in terms of speed, then Rafael's weapon system makes it more powerful than Pakistani fighter aircraft.
Rafael is strong for these three reasons
1) Radar is the first feature that makes Rafael stronger than Pakistan's F-16
French company Daiso Aviation has given such a radar system in Rafale, which is not even in the F-16 made by American company Lockheed Martin. The F-16 radar system can detect 20 targets within a range of 84 km. Rafal's radar system can detect up to 40 targets at a time within a radius of 100 km. Kishore Khera, a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force, says that the range of on-board radar and sensors that Rafale possesses is currently not in any other fighter aircraft in India. It can detect enemy fighters from far away. Its greater range will play an important role in combat missions. The advantage of this is that you can see them in enemy aircraft without being detected.
2) Missiles better than Pakistan's F-16
Pakistan's F-16 has a maximum range of 100 km for the Miram missiles. At the same time, Rafale's missile system is much more advanced than this. Kishore Khera, who was a Group Captain in the Air Force, says that although all the fighters of India are capable of carrying precise aiming weapons from air to air and air to ground, but the special thing in Rafael is that it is more range weapons. Can also be carried. Like - it can carry missiles. Which are capable of aiming at very precise targets on air moving targets even at a distance of more than 150 km. Meteor missiles can target jet to small unmanned aircraft as well as cruise missiles. Similarly, Rafale aircraft can also carry scalp missiles. These missiles can destroy any target located on the ground about 300 km away. These missiles also protect the aircraft from ground-targeting weapons. In this way, long-range missiles in a fighter aircraft not only protect them from enemy attack, but also have a big role in making the mission successful.
3) Human machine interface such that the fighter pilot can decide soon
Kishore Khera says Rafale's human machine interface also technically makes it more efficient than other aircraft. This is extremely helpful for fighter pilots. Different types of sensors installed in the Rafale will help the pilot to understand the situation easily and better in times of corrosion. This takes less time to decide. Decision making is a matter of a few microseconds, but these microseconds make the difference between victory and defeat in aerial combat.
Together Sukhoi, Miraj and Tejas will make Rafael more powerful
Our strength will increase as Rafale becomes operational in the Indian Air Force. Khera explains that in any operation or limited or complete war situation, Rafale will be our most special aircraft. However, just 36 Rafaels is not enough for the purpose of preparing for a full war. Sukhoi-30 MKI, upgraded Mirage 2000, MiG-29 and Tejas are also equipped with different special technologies, which will be required for Rafale. After the MiG-21 and MiG-27, the Jaguar with Rafale will be the most important aircraft for us to hit ground targets.
Comparison of the most modern fighter aircraft of India, China and Pakistan
Rafael (India)
F-16 (Pakistan)
J-20 (China)
Combat radius
1850 km
4220 km
3400 km
Maxim speed
2222 km / h
2415 km / h
2100 km / h
Dimension
Length: 15.3 m
Width: 10.9 m
Height: 5.3 m
Length: 15 meters
Width: 9.45 m
Height: 5 m
Length: 23 m
Width: 15 m
Height: 5 m
Missiles and range
Meteor: 150 km
Scalp: 300 km
Amram: 100 km
PL-15: 300 km
PL-21: 400 km
How high can fly
15,240 m
15,235 m
18000 m
Rate of climb
18,288 m / min
15,240 m / min
18,240 m / min
Weight
Empty - 9,980 kg, maximum - 24,494 kg
Empty - 9,500 kg,
Maximum- 24,500 kg
Empty - 17,600 kg,
Maximum- 35,000 kg
Used
In Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq
In the Afghan war from 1986 to 1989
Not involved in any major mission yet
China's J-20A aircraft also have to take care
Defense expert Pushan Das says that Rafale has more capability to penetrate any protected airspace than the most advanced fighter aircraft of Pakistani Air Force F-16. However, China's J20A aircraft will be a challenge for Rafael, as it will induct large numbers of these aircraft into the Air Force in the coming years. Pakistan can also get these aircraft from China, so to counter them Rafale as well as the Indian Air Force will have to increase capacities on a large scale.
Training: Pilots will fly Rafale for 60 to 80 hours in 6 months
Khera explains that Indian pilots have to take at least 5 to 6 months of training to understand all aspects of the aircraft. During this, they will spend 60 to 80 hours flying Rafale. India will get its first fleet of 4 fighter aircraft in May next year after the training of Indian pilots in France and maintenance of other staff is over. It is expected that at least one Rafale Squadron will be fully operational in India by Air Force Day in 2020.
Updating fourth generation aircraft, it is also necessary to equip Tejas with new capabilities
Defense expert Pushan Das says that the arrival of Rafael will give strength to the Indian Air Force but other options will also have to be worked out to respond to the challenges of air defense systems of China and Pakistan and fighter jets. Every option should be considered for the requirements of air battles and standardization of their fleet. For example, with the arrival of the second batch of Rafale, Tejas, a fighter aircraft made with indigenous technologies, will also have to be equipped with the necessary capabilities. As such it has to develop technical capabilities to refuel in the air and further strengthen its air warning and control system. It is also necessary that the fourth generation combat aircraft be updated with priority. They should be equipped with modern capabilities of high speed weapons and electronic warfare.
Air Force still has 31 squadrons, 42 needed
According to Global Security.com, the Air Force needs 42 squadrons from Pakistan-China to protect the country, but we currently have only 31 squadrons. A squadron consists of 16 to 18 fighter aircraft. According to estimates, by 2021-2022 the number of squadrons near the Air Force will be reduced to 26, as combat aircraft such as the MiG-21 and MiG-27 will retire. At the same time, by 2022 we will have only two squadrons. The first squadron of these will be of Rafael aircraft, while the second will be of LCA Tejas. At the same time, by 2022, the Pakistan Air Force will have 25 squadrons and the Chinese Air Force will have 42 squadrons.
https://www.bhaskar.com/dboriginal/...akistan-air-force-rajnath-singh-01659447.html
