France's Rafale Superfighter, soon in the Indian Air Force
Updated: November 30, 2012 00:45 IST
Earlier this year, India selected Dassault Aviation of France as its preferred bidder in a $10 billion contest to supply its air force with a new fleet of advanced combat aircraft, the Rafale.
The Rafale is a twin-engine delta-wing multi-role jet fighter aircraft and is called an "omnirole" fighter by its manufacturer. Introduced in 2000, the Rafale is being produced both for land-based use and for carrier-based operations. Apart from France, India would be the only other country to use the Rafale. Through this photo gallery, we take a detailed look at the aircraft in its many variations.
Earlier this year, India selected Dassault Aviation of France as its preferred bidder in a $10 billion contest to supply its air force with a new fleet of advanced combat aircraft, the Rafale.
The Rafale is a twin-engine delta-wing multi-role jet fighter aircraft and is called an "omnirole" fighter by its manufacturer. Introduced in 2000, the Rafale is being produced both for land-based use and for carrier-based operations. Apart from France, India would be the only other country to use the Rafale. Through this photo gallery, we take a detailed look at the aircraft in its many variations.
Rafale armed with Mica air-to-air missile in air superiority configuration (Image credit: Dassault Aviation)
A Rafale pulls a high G turn (Image credit: Dassault Aviation)
The Rafale carries 9.5 tonnes of ordnance (Image credit: Dassault Aviation)
Rafale equipped with Meteor extreme long range air-to-air missile (Image credit: Dassault Aviation)
Rafale with METEOR air to air missile (Image credit: Dassault Aviation)
METEOR air to air missiles have a range more than 100 kms (Image credit: Dassault Aviation)