The Dassault Aviation Rafale F4 in short final of the MRFA program in India.
The visit to Paris on Monday, September 30, 2024 by India's No. 1 national security official is seen as a major step forward in the Indian Air Force's Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft program. Often referred to as MMRCA 2, this program will see the acquisition of 114 new-generation combat aircraft, some of which will be assembled locally. All the signs are now green for the Dassault Aviation Rafale F4, except that the Indians may also be interested in another fighter: the Lockheed-Martin F-21A Viper. The Viper is the latest evolution of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, which first flew 50 years ago.
Dassault Aviation Rafale B in Indian Air Force livery.
At the beginning of the week, the French Republic pulled out all the stops to welcome Mr. Ajit Doval, India's current National Security Advisor. His first stop was the Quai d'Orsay, where he was welcomed by its new tenant, Jean-Noël Barrot. After a series of meetings on defense and security cooperation, the group headed for... the other side of the Seine. At the Élysée Palace, the President of the Republic, Mr. Emmanuel Macron, received them. His Minister of the Armed Forces, Mr. Sébastien Lecornu, was also in attendance. In India, Mr. Doval is one of the men directly negotiating the MRFA combat aircraft program. So it's no coincidence that, in addition to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he also met with Messrs Lecornu and Macron, who are in charge of Rafale F4 exports. This is something that the Indian press has been highlighting for the past two days. Strangely enough, the French media have been a little (a lot) radio-silent.
Yet the MRFA could well be the jackpot for the Clodiac aircraft manufacturer and its masterpiece. One hundred and fourteen aircraft have been ordered, a figure that makes the head spin. Especially when you consider that the Rafale F4 has already wiped out most of its competitors. Mikoyan MiG-35 Fulcrum-F, Saab JAS 39E/F Gripen, and Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E were all quickly discarded, while the Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon fought hard for its share of the market, to the point where the Indians might have thought it was of interest. But no. And what about the F-15EX Eagle II proposed by Boeing to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, now out of production? The “I'm offering it to you because the other one is outdated” argument is rather limited commercially speaking. Especially when the customer is the Indian Air Force. So, faced with the Rafale F4, all that's left is the F-21A Viper, a version adapted to Indian needs from the now famous F-16V Viper. Although Washington DC is pushing hard for this aircraft, it is far from being favored by the military over its French competitor. And with good reason!
Indian Air Force pilots know the Dassault Aviation Rafale well: they fly it. And for them, this fighter jet has become a game changer, particularly in the face of Chinese adversaries. In fact, it could be said that Dassault Aviation has been playing it safe, with India flying on its machines since the Ouragan. But this would be to underestimate the aggressiveness of Lockheed-Martin's negotiators. After all, we're talking about a contract for 114 combat aircraft. This is no mean feat, far from it. No holds barred.
So will we see the outcome of this MRFA program before the festive season? And could this mean that, in addition to the Rafale M, the F4 standard will also take the Rafale B/C away from the Indian Air Force in the 4th quarter? Nothing is impossible. All the more so as Franco-Indian relations are really on a roll. As the old saying goes: “Hope springs eternal”.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)