For about two years now, an air battle has been going on in India between Dassault’s Rafale Marine and Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III to find out which will replace the Russian Mig-29Ks. The two aircraft are undergoing the most extensive tests by the Indian Army to find out which one will board its new aircraft carriers and the case seems to be going well for the French fighter. The size of the F-18, which does not allow it to go through the elevators of the Indian aircraft carrier, did not play in Boeing’s favor.
According to The galery, the contract could be officially signed in March during Emmanuel Macron’s visit to New Delhi. The talks had started with Florence Parly, former Minister of the Armies, who, in December 2021, mentioned an order for “26 to 57 Rafale in Navy version”. It will probably be more like 26. The remaining 30 aircraft will not be supplied a priori by the United States, but by the Indian manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. It should be the Tejas Mark-2 multi-mission aircraft that should be operational between 2024 and 2026.
arms spending
The Indian Air Force (IAF) already uses Rafales but in classic two-seater and non-marine single-seater versions. In 2016, when Jean-Yves Le Drian was Defense Minister, New Delhi placed an order for 36 aircraft for almost €8 billion. The last in this series was delivered in December 2022.
India’s armament buildup is based on several factors. Historical tensions with Pakistan, but also with China in the Indo-Pacific. Beijing’s ambition to establish itself as a superpower there has led India to increase its naval force.
The Indian Navy already has two aircraft carriers: the INS Vikramaditya, a building of Soviet origin launched in 2004, and the INS Vikrant (“brave” in Sanskrit), the first made in India that entered service in September 2022. The Navy it is calling for a third ship to better assert itself against China in the Indian Ocean.
India has accelerated its spending on arms in a few years, going from 47,000 million dollars in 2013 to 76,600 million dollars in 2021 to rank third in the world behind the United States (801,000 million) and China (293,000 million). These expenses are also intended to benefit local industrialists. In 2021, 64% of military spending was allocated to the acquisition of nationally produced weapons.
Source: BFM TV
