India selects the Rafale Marine and wants to strengthen its partnership with France in the submarine sector
The contracts have not yet been signed, but the decision has been made. On the fringes of the visit to France by Prime Minister Narenda Modi, who was the guest of honour at the 14 July festivities, India announced its intention to acquire 26 Rafale Marine combat aircraft and to deepen its submarine partnership with France, with a view to building three additional Scorpene-type vessels.
Following an international competition to procure combat aircraft for its two aircraft carriers, India selected the Rafale Marine, the first of which entered service with the Charles de Gaulle in 2001. The Dassault Aviation aircraft, which has undergone a number of upgrades since then and continues to integrate new systems, won out over its American rival, Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet. The two aircraft manufacturers were finalists in a process that formally began in 2017, when New Delhi issued a request for information (RFI) for the acquisition of 57 aircraft capable of operating on the Vikramaditya and Vikrant aircraft carriers, equipped with a springboard and a sloping runway with arresting strands. The aim is to beef up the on-board air group of the two vessels, which will be commissioned by the Indian Navy in 2013 and 2022 and currently only have MiG-29Ks. Some forty of these aircraft were purchased by India from Russia in the 2010s, but they have not been satisfactory.
An interim solution while waiting for an Indian on-board fighter
The initial target of acquiring 57 new aircraft has finally been reduced to just 26, as the Indian authorities want these foreign aircraft to be just an interim solution pending the development of the future nationally-designed airborne fighter, known by the acronym TEDBF (Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter). The Indian Navy hopes that this machine will be operational in the 2030s, bearing in mind that in the event of delays or urgent operational requirements, it will always be possible to order additional Rafales from France.
The Rafale Marine was chosen following a test campaign conducted last year with the French aircraft and its American rival at the Hansa land-based test site near Goa, where a 283-metre runway ending in a springboard was built. "This selection confirms the excellence of the Rafale, the exceptional quality of the link that unites Dassault Aviation and the Indian Forces, and the importance of the strategic relationship between India and France," comments Dassault Aviation, which has already delivered 36 Rafale Air to the Indian Air Force following an order notified in 2016 for €7.8 billion.
The purchase of 26 Rafale-Marines was approved on Thursday 13 July by the Indian Defence Procurement Council, three days after the Defence Procurement Board gave the green light. The delivery schedule for these aircraft is not yet known, nor is the package of weapons that will be supplied with them. However, it should be noted that New Delhi wants 22 single-seater
and 4 two-seater aircraft, which will make the Indian Navy the first user of the two-seater Rafale in a navalised version. It was initially planned for the French Navy, which was to receive more than 80 Rafales for two aircraft carriers, before the target was reduced to 46 aircraft, all single-seaters.
As part of this order, the French Navy is also expected to lend its Indian counterpart two to four of its aircraft (it currently has 41) for pilot training purposes.
Extending the Scorpene series
In addition to the Rafale, and the prospect of French industry helping India to develop new-generation combat aircraft, New Delhi has also announced its intention to strengthen its partnership with France in the submarine sector. This comes as the P75 programme for six Scorpene-type vessels, ordered in 2005, draws to a close. Designed by Naval Group, these submarines were built under a technology transfer agreement by the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) shipyard in Mumbai, which delivered the first in 2017. The sixth, currently undergoing trials, is due to enter service in 2024. "The 'Make in India' policy at the service of Indian sovereignty ('AatmaNirbhar') has been at the heart of the P75 programme, as well as other activities developed by Naval Group and its Indian industrial partners to provide the Indian Navy with the most modern naval defence technologies," stresses Naval Group, which is currently working with the Indians on a programme to equip their Scorpene vessels with an anaerobic propulsion system (AIP) to increase their diving autonomy.
Although the French manufacturer is no longer taking part in the competition for India's future P75I submarines, it is doing very well in the end. Given the estimated timeframe for this new programme (10 to 15 years) and New Delhi's desire to respond quickly to the growing power of the Chinese fleet, it has been decided to extend the Scorpene series. Three new submarines should therefore be ordered from MDL, this "off-the-shelf" solution enabling the Indian Navy to increase its submarine capabilities more quickly. Without having to stop at nine Scorpene submarines. Other naval cooperation projects between France and India are also under discussion. France could, for example, propose a conventionally powered version of France's new Barracuda nuclear attack submarines (NAS), or help India develop a new model of NAS, as it is doing with Brazil (on the non-nuclear parts of the submarine).
As with the aircraft, it also remains to be seen what weapons will be supplied alongside the order for these additional Scorpene submarines. The first six are already fielding MBDA's Exocet SM39 anti-ship missile, with Naval Group also looking to sell India its new F21 heavy torpedo. The Indian press, meanwhile, is referring to discussions on the MdCN naval cruise missile, the medium-change version of which, like the F21, is fitted on French submarines and can be integrated on Scorpene vessels.
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