IAF Dassault Rafale EH - Gust from the Dust

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G’day lads. I want to suggest a version of the Rafale meant for India’s requirements, meant for the future of WT, which would be the Indian Airforce Dassault Rafale EH :)

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Description:

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The IAF Rafale EH is a Rafale C, built in the F3-R-standard. This specific variant is meant for India, as it has been enhanced to provide advanced electronic warfare capabilities. It includes an upgraded front sector optronics system with infrared search-and-track, a modified radar altimeter suited for operations in mountainous regions, and engines capable of cold starts at high-altitude airfields. Additionally, it features software enhancements for its active electronically scanned array radar, a new low-band podded jammer, and a towed radar decoy for enhanced defense. Something noteworthy is that it can also allegedly use Israeli systems, such as the SPICE 2000 bomb or LITENING (IV) targeting pod.

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History:

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It all began in 2007, when the Indian Ministry of Defence launched the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition to procure 126 multi-role combat aircraft. Various global manufacturers, including Dassault Aviation, participated. In January 2012, Dassault Rafale was chosen as the lowest bidder, intended to supply 126 Rafale jets to the Indian Air Force with an option for 63 additional aircraft. However, negotiations faced several challenges due to disagreements over costs and warranty terms for aircraft produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). In 2014, the deal was put on hold due to budget constraints and disagreements. After trials against the F-16E/F, JAS-39 Gripen, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon and the MiG-35, in the end the Rafale has won.

In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a new government-to-government deal to procure 36 Rafale jets in flyaway condition to meet the Indian Air Force’s urgent needs. This deal was finalized in 2016, and the first Rafale jets were delivered in 2019. The Rafale jets have, to say the least; significantly enhanced India’s air combat capabilities with advanced sensors, weapons, and aerodynamic design, providing a powerful platform for air dominance, precision strikes, and operational agility.

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Despite its significance, the deal has been surrounded by controversies, including allegations of corruption and favoritism. However, in 2018, the Supreme Court of India upheld the deal, stating that no irregularities were found. India of course still operates their Rafale’s, to be specific, in their DH and EH designation, where the DH is a Rafale B (Dual Seater) and the EH a Rafale C (Single Seater), both as I have already mentioned that have gotten upgrades, specifically for electronic warfare.

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Armaments:

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1 M791 30mm cannon with 125 rounds

MICA EM/IR AAM (8 maximum)

METEOR AAM

ASRAAM AAM (according to reports)

Astra AAM (Can’t find out which exact variant)

NG-CCM AAM (planned)

AASM Hammer AGM

SPICE guidance kit (planned)

SCALP cruise missile

TALIOS or LITENING IV targeting pod

Rafael X-Guard towed decoy

Targo II HMS

SPECTRA

Indian Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)

RBE2 AESA radar

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Specifications:

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Considering that the EH is a modified Rafale C, I’ll use the Rafale C for it’s specifications. The aircraft has a length of 15.27m, a wingspan of 10.90m, a height of 5.34m and at last a wing area: 45.7 square meters. It weights around 9850kg empty, although it could be a little more due to the added modifications, with a combat weight of 15000kg and a maximum takeoff weight of 24500kg. Powering it is a SNECMA M88-2, giving out per engine a max thrust of 50kN and 75kN with it’s afterburners enabled.

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Sources:

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https://omnirole-rafale.com/exportation-rafale/rafale-egypte-qatar-inde/indian-air-force-rafale-eh-dh/

https://omnirole-rafale.com/rafale-indian-specific-enhancements/

India's First French-Built Rafale Fighters Have Finally Arrived

Dassault Rafale – Wikipedia

Three more Rafales delivered to India

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/10890173

Aviation Photo Search | Airliners.net

Aircraft Photo of BS028 | Dassault Rafale EH | India - Air Force | AirHistory.net #589818

India's Five Rafale jets to have HAMMER missiles

https://www.defensemirror.com/news/19917/Indian_Rafale_Fighter_Jets_to_Get_Rafael___s_Litening_Targeting_Pod

Rafael targets Indian contract with Litening pod | News | Flight Global

Thales TALIOS pod can be fitted on a Dassault Aviation Rafale

The IAF is now inducting smart weapons to add to its precision weapons inventory

Indian Next-Generation Close Combat Missile: Enhancing Combat Potential with Atmanirbharta - CAPS India

https://www.defencexp.com/decoding-weapon-package-of-rafale/

Four ‘Game Changing’ Weapons That IAF’s Rafale Fighters Will Pack       

Indian Rafale fighter jet adds Hammer stand-off weapon to its lethal arsenal | Latest News India - Hindustan Times

France Proposes Joint Development of AASM Hammer for India – Indian Defence Research Wing

India's First French-Built Rafale Fighters Have Finally Arrived

https://omnirole-rafale.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/x-guard.pdf

Thanks a lot for reading! If you have any extra information, then feel free to share them in the replies! As always, have a good day :) Also! If you’re more interested in the Rafale, then I’d recommend checking out this forum post about it!

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@Surbaissemaxxing Something else to mention; The Indian Rafale, as with customized variants, is its own standard. This is because it has none or only some of the features and capabilities of the SOP (Standard of Preparation; in this case F.3R).
India’s Rafale DH / EH, for example, have, in addition to the additions you have already mentioned, features that can only be found on the F.4 standard, e.g. the IRST of the next generation and SP3 (the additional pylons used for MICA and X-Guard). There are also additional electronics / sensors and changes to SPECTRA, their purpose however remains unknown.

However, as much as I would like to see it, I don’t think UK should get it.

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Thanks John Rafale

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@Caernarvon02 Look at this thing here

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+1 India needs some real representation if its meant to be a subtree

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Hammer time

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india should either become an independant tree, or this should not come at all, itd give britian all 3 eurocanards and i should need to explain how thatd be awful

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Not to mention the Su-30MKI- 4 nations’ top tier vehicles in one tree. 5 if they get the F-18s they’re asking for.

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You know where this would fit well? The French TT or an Indian TT.

You know where this shouldn’t go? The British TT.

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I think that right now besides the novelty of having a Rafale in Britain the Rafale EH is not particularly interesting compared to the fully indigenous Tejas. If they restrict the plane’s armaments to not have Meteor then maybe it can sit at a lower BR than the Typhoon, otherwise it would just be a sidegrade. +1 for the future but I don’t really consider it necessary until the Eurofighter family is exhausted of possible additions.

On the subject of whether it should be added to Britain I think a dedicated discussion topic on India as a subtree and why it should or should not be in Britain is more apt but I briefly explain what I think below. I don’t want to derail the topic so again I would recommend a discussion post being made if there is not one already so that there is a dedicated space for a civil conversation about this matter rather than the comments of this post.

Click here to reveal

I do not consider myself part of the protest vote crowd where I would say a subtree should not get the vehicles the subtree nation uses (which is the point of a subtree, by the way - to add a nation’s vehicles in a coherent manner that might not otherwise be attractive as a fully independent tree), but if the shoe were on the other foot and Poland, for example, were a subtree of Germany or Russia I would not want those vehicles in that nation out of principle. I don’t really have an issue with this point of view since I’m guilty of it myself and I empathize. However it does deny a subtree its purpose and is selfish for those who just want to see their nation’s vehicles be playable.

The point of view I take issue with is not wanting it in Britain because of the specific plane. If it’s because it’s a Rafale and not because you dislike India being in Britain as a concept then where do you draw the line? What Indian aircraft do you consider viable to add to the game, and why is the Rafale not one of them? If your list is sufficiently limited (i.e. two or three aircraft maximum) then you do not agree with the premise of an Indian subtree in the first place and I’m fine with that. If your list is basically everything except the Rafale I have no other conclusion to draw than that you are being petty because it’s France’s best toy. There is no in-between as the majority of India’s available aircraft consist of Russian or French designs.

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I’m just annoyed they added the Class 3 to Germany despite everything Gaijin had said before.

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I’m not convinced this standard is unique enough to be implemented unless India becomes its own nation (which isn’t impossible considering Israel air exists despite being a sum of imported aircrafts)

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Since India is a british subtree, its a -1 from me. UK has no need for rafale ontop of eurofighter.
Maybe +1 when French get their 6th gen jet.

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I predict that close to french Rafale F4 standard. but pre integraded Litening targeting pod, SPICE guidance kit, AIM-132 ASRAAM (Blk 6) and domestic indian equipments (Astra Mk.1, NG-CCM & IRNSS)

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+1 for an independent Indian TT

It will be a while then…