The history of relationship between India and France dates back nearly 400 years to the days of the Mughal Empire. Later on in the 18th century, France was actively involved militarily in several military campaigns in South India generally fighting the British. Apart from Great Britain, France was one of the major European nations to establish colonies in India. On India gaining independence in 1947, diplomatic relations between the two nations were formally established and over the years, France and India have had close and friendly relations. The two nations have even entered into a strategic partnership in 1998 leading to exchanges in strategic areas such as defence, nuclear energy and space. France was one of the few nations that did not condemn India’s nuclear tests in 1998 and has supported India’s bid for permanent membership of the UN Security Council as well as G-8. France is one of the largest suppliers of nuclear fuel to India and has entered into an agreement for civil nuclear cooperation.

Early Years of Partnership in Military Aviation

While the two nations built up enduring relationships over the years, the foundations of ties in the regime of military aviation between India and France were laid in 1953 when the Indian Air Force (IAF) placed an order on the French aerospace major Dassault Aviation for of 104 Ouragan jet fighters that were renamed as the “Toofani” by the IAF. This was the first export contract ever for Dassault Aviation. The Toofani fighter aircraft of the IAF saw action in 1961 when they carried out air strikes against the Portuguese in Diu on the west coast of India. They were also used in ground attack missions against the rebels in Assam and Nagaland and in 1962 were employed for reconnaissance missions in the Sino-Indian conflict of 1962. The Toofani fleet was withdrawn from front line service in 1965.

In 1957, the IAF procured from Dassault Aviation over 100 of their latest and more powerful combat aircraft, the Mystère IV-A. This fleet served to significantly enhance the operational potential of the IAF and acquitted itself admirably well in the Indo-Pak war of 1971.

Induction of Third Generation Combat Aircraft

In 1978, the Dassault-Breguet/BAC Jaguar deep penetration strike aircraft was selected for induction into the IAF. With 40 platforms delivered directly by the manufacturers in a flyaway condition beginning in 1981, the remaining 120 were built under licence in India by the Indian aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The Jaguar has been described as one of the few aircraft capable of the nuclear strike role but the IAF has not adopted this option. The Jaguar fleet of the IAF was employed for reconnaissance missions in support of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka in the period 1987 to 1990. The fleet also played an active role in the war with Pakistan in Kargil in 1999, dropping both unguided and laser-guided bombs. Equipped with the Sea Eagle missile, Jaguars of the IAF are also employed in the maritime strike role. This fleet has proved to be a strong element of the IAF.

The fleet of 125 Jaguar aircraft now remaining in service with the IAF are being upgraded with better avionics including multi-mode radar, autopilot and other changes as part of the DARIN III programme. Also under consideration is fitment of engines with higher thrust rating to enhance performance of the aircraft particularly at medium altitudes.

In 1985, the IAF received 49 Mirage 2000H, the latest, stateof-the-art combat aircraft of the time designed, developed and produced by Dassault Aviation. In 2004, the Indian Government approved purchase of ten Mirage 2000H aircraft, an improved version featuring better avionics including an upgraded RDM 7 radar. The Mirage fleet rendered yeomen service during the Kargil war in 1999 and performed remarkably well during the entire conflict in the high Himalayan Mountains. The fleet had been modified by the company on an emergency basis to deliver laser guided precisions weapons against targets in the Kargil sector. Ease of maintenance, excellent product support, high reliability and a very high sortie rate made the Mirage 2000 fleet clearly the most efficient amongst the different fleets of combat aircraft in the IAF. For many years they have been highly regarded in the IAF, being a stable weapons platform with a respectable safety record. The Mirage 2000 fleet has also been assigned the nuclear strike role.

In March 2010, India and France finalised a programme with Dassault Aviation for a comprehensive upgrade of the Mirage 2000H to Mirage 2000-5 Mk 2 standard with the MBDA AIM-132 ASRAAM close combat missile, new radar systems, mission computers, a new weapon suite, electronic warfare system, helmet mounted sight, glass cockpit and upgraded data bus, etc. Thales and MBDA are participants in the upgrade programme. The first six aircraft are being upgraded in France, with the rest in India by HAL under transfer of technology. Under the upgrade, the entire airframe will be stripped down to be re-wired and re-equipped. This upgrade will significantly enhance operational capabilities of the Mirage 2000 fleet apart from extending the operational life of the multirole fighters by around 20 to 25 years. The Mirage 2000 represents a long tradition of cooperation with Dassault Aviation initiated over six decades ago. In this period, the French aerospace major has delivered more than 7,500 civil and military aircraft to 75 countries.

Medium Multi-Role Aircraft for the IAF

During the early years of the last decade, the IAF initiated a case for the procurement of 126 combat aircraft to replace its ageing fleet of MiG-21 air defence fighters especially as time frame for the availability of the indigenously developed light combat aircraft Tejas was somewhat uncertain. At that point in time, the IAF did consider the option of induction of the Mirage 2000-5 in sufficient numbers to close the gap in the combat fleet. The IAF was happy with the performance of its Mirage 2000 fleet and viewed the option of reliance on Dassault Aviation as the most expedient and comforting. However, on account of compulsions of the newly introduced Defence Procurement Procedure as well as for some other considerations, the IAF had to resort to a global tender for a light-weight air defence aircraft. Against this requirement, Dassault Aviation had offered the newer version, the Mirage 2000-5 to compete for the contract against three other contenders. However, when the tender document was revised to include medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), Dassault Aviation replaced the Mirage 2000-5 offer with that of the newly developed, most modern fighter aircraft, the Rafale, that undertook its maiden flight in July 1986 became operational with the French Air Force in 2006. In the revised tender, Dassault Aviation was now in a stiff competition against five of the leading global aerospace majors from the US, Russia and Europe.

The Dassault Rafale is a twin engine, canard delta-wing, multi-role fighter aircraft designed, development and built by Dassault Aviation. The aircraft is also described by the manufacturers as an omnirole fighter and is endowed with a high level of agility and is capable of simultaneously undertaking air supremacy, interdiction, reconnaissance and nuclear deterrent missions. As opposed to other combat platforms developed in Europe in that period, the Rafale has been built almost entirely by a single nation. The aircraft has been employed in combat successfully in air support roles over Afghanistan since 2007, played a major role in the NATO air campaign against Gaddafi’s forces in Libya in 2011and was deployed for air operations in Mali.

In February 2011, along with the other five competitors, Dassault Aviation demonstrated the Rafale at Aero India held at the IAF Station, Yelahanka on the outskirts of Bengaluru. On January 31, 2012 in five years after global tender was floated, the IAF finally declared the Rafale as the lowest bidder and technically the preferred option in the MMRCA competition. Under the proposed contract, 18 aircraft would be supplied to the IAF by 2015 in flyaway condition, while the remaining 108 would be manufactured by HAL in India under transfer of technology agreement. The contract for 126 aircraft along with services and spares packages could be worth as much as $20 billion or even more. The IAF also has an option for another 63 aircraft.

Unfortunately, over two years have gone by since the selection of the Dassault Rafale was made public, for one reason or another, negotiations have dragged on and the contract has not yet been concluded. It is now hoped that the new government that takes over in May 2014, will hasten the finalisation of negotiations and award the contract in the current financial year in order that the Rafale fleet is inducted into the IAF before the end of this decade.

Partnership with the Indian Aerospace Industry

In conformity with the terms of the RFP, while HAL will be the lead integrator for the aircraft to be manufactured in India, Dassault Aviation has selected Reliance Industries from the Indian private sector as a partner for the project and has plans to build production facilities in India similar to those in France. The involvement of Indian industry within the programme will consolidate existing ties with the French aerospace industry and will reinforce long-term cooperation in the regime of cuttingedge technologies.

Dassault Aviation and its partners, Snecma and Thales, organised as a joint venture, Rafale International, are committed to pursue this extraordinary long-standing cooperation with India and meet with the urgent requirements of the IAF. The relationship that the IAF has forged with Dassault Aviation over the last six decades, through mutual effort and cooperation, will facilitate the fulfilment of needs of the IAF in the future. Rafale International sees the MMRCA programme not only as a financially rewarding contract but more importantly as an opportunity to further strengthen strategic partnership and industrial cooperation between the two nations. The programme is also backed by strong political commitment from the French Government to India in the regime of military cooperation.