NEW DELHI\u00a0\u2014\u00a0India is unlikely to acquire additional Rafale fighter\u00a0jets\u00a0because the Indian Air Force (IAF) is “fully satisfied”\u00a0following the recently signed $8.8 billion deal to purchase 36 of the fighters,\u00a0according to a source with the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD).
However,\u00a0Amit Cowshish, a former financial adviser for the MoD, said the\u00a0“absence of [an] option[al] clause does not rule out the\u00a0possibility\u00a0of acquiring more of the same aircraft,” adding that “even a separate contract can be negotiated at the same price.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Indian Air Force just has 33 squadrons as against the felt need of 42\u00a0to\u00a045 squadrons. This strength will go down further as 10-11 squadrons are\u00a0scheduled to be phased out in the next few years. It is in this<\/p>\n\n\n\n
background\u00a0that the possibility of new Rafale fighters aircraft assumes\u00a0significance,”\u00a0Cowshish said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although there could be a future need for more fighters, Cowshish\u00a0said:\u00a0“It seems unlikely that the entire requirement will be made up by\u00a0acquiring\u00a0Rafale aircraft, for had that been the intention India would not have\u00a0gone\u00a0in for acquisition of just two squadrons at this stage.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At an Oct. 5 news conference here,\u00a0Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force\u00a0(IAF)\u00a0Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said:\u00a0 “Any air force would be proud to\u00a0have\u00a0aircraft of the Rafale class, which is in the mid-weight category.” On\u00a0the\u00a0possibility of buying additional Rafale, Raha said: “A decision on\u00a0more\u00a0numbers of Rafale jets will be taken in the near future, which would be\u00a0based on its capability.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Vivek Rae, the MoD’s former director general of acquisition, said that “given the depleted strength of IAF squadrons, it is clear that IAF will\u00a0have to purchase more Rafale aircraft in [the] future. The quantum will\u00a0depend on\u00a0availability of funds.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The truncated\u00a0Rafale\u00a0deal is the direct outcome of budgetary constraints,” Rae added.\u00a0India had chose to buy only 36 Rafale after cancelling the program to acquire\u00a0126\u00a0Rafale<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IAF officials, however, say adding additional types of fighter aircraft to the fleet\u00a0would not be as economical as purchasing additional\u00a0Rafale jets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It is obvious that the long-term, per-aircraft maintenance costs of a\u00a0small fleet of aircraft will always be higher than for larger numbers,\u00a0whether there are life cycle guarantees or otherwise,” said Subhash<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bhojwani, a retired IAF air marshal and defense analyst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IAF currently has seven aircraft types: Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Jaguar, MiG-29, MiG-27,\u00a0MiG-21 and homemade Tejas Light Combat Aircraft. The Rafale\u00a0will\u00a0be the eighth type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“With no clear indication as of now that additional Rafale would be\u00a0bought, a window is open wide for the acquisition of another type of\u00a0fighter,” another MoD source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daljit Singh,\u00a0a\u00a0retired\u00a0IAF air marshal and defense analyst said: “IAF requirement was for 126\u00a0aircraft and that requirement still holds. Also, the defence minister has announced that the government would earmark one\u00a0fighter by the end of the year that would be manufactured in India.\u00a0Whether\u00a0it would be Rafale or not is not clear as yet.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n