In 2012, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed the contract for a significant quantity of MBDA’s MICA missile to be supplied as part of the modernisation programme of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) fleet of 51 Mirage 2000 aircraft.

With this contract, India has ensured that the IAF’s Mirage will be optimally equipped to provide the required levels of air dominance in any potential future operation. MICA is a truly unique weapon, being the only missile in the world featuring two interoperable seekers (active radar and imaging infrared) to cover the spectrum from close-in dogfight to long beyond visual range. Its ability to fly out to BVR in passive mode before the seeker locks on in the final stages of the end game has earned it the sobriquet “Silent Killer” as the target has little time to react or to deploy effective countermeasures.

The full upgrade is expected to be completed by around 2021 and as part of the 30 per cent direct offset requirement, MBDA has already identified and started to implement work with several Indian business partners. With the Indian company, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), playing a key role in the programme, MBDA’s relationship with the IAF and Indian industry is set to be a very close one for several years to come, just with regard to the Mirage alone.

However, this relationship with the IAF does not start with MICA. In fact It goes back many years with the missiles it is in fact replacing, namely the Super 530D medium-range and the R-550 Magic II close combat missiles that have been providing sterling service to the IAF’s Mirage fleet for a good number of years. Nor is this relationship limited only to the Mirage. MBDA’s Magic 1 (a forerunner of Magic 11) has also been arming the IAF’s Jaguar fleet, mounted on the aircraft’s over wing pylons to provide the bomber with its means of self-defence.

Regarding Jaguar, and as has been widely reported, MBDA’s ASRAAM missile has already been selected to replace the Magic 1 on the aircraft following a series of evaluation trials which served to prove how it is the ideal weapon for this aircraft’s upgrade. The Jaguar’s principal mission is as a bomber but it also needs an effective self-defence capability. MBDA’s ASRAAM short-range air dominance missile will be instrumental in supporting the aircraft’s operational life through to the end of the decade. ASRAAM’s speed not only provides safe separation from the Jaguar’s above-wing pylons, it also guarantees “first shot first kill” to avoid getting involved in a dogfight. As the Jaguar is a low-flying aircraft, threats will most likely come from more agile fighters with altitude superiority, ASRAAM offers a major advantage here in its unmatched “snap-up” capability, its ability to rapidly divert upwards once fired.

Dassault’s Rafale has won the intense competition between the world’s leading combat aircraft to be selected to meet the IAF’s medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) requirement as a replacement for its ageing fleet of MiG-21s. Though it does not look like the contract will be signed until sometime in 2015, MBDA has already been discussing a potential suite of air-toair and air-to-ground weapons with the IAF. When Rafale enters service, equipped with MBDA’s latest weapons, this will usher in a new era of cooperation between the company and the IAF that will flourish for the next couple of decades at least.

These weapons include the already mentioned MICA which is in service on the French Air Force’s Rafale. Another weapon being discussed is one that is considered as a real game changer in terms of air combat. MBDA’s Meteor is widely recognised as the most capable beyond visual range air-to-air missile either currently available or planned. Meteor is the result of a six-European nation programme that will provide the key future BVR air-to-air armament for Europe’s new-generation of combat platforms – Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Gripen. This missile’s very long range combined with its ramjet-induced speed, result in a weapon that has an unequalled No Escape Zone. In fact Meteor has been designed to be many times superior to the most sophisticated current and emerging MRAAM threat. The advanced “throttleable” ramjet technology contained within Meteor controls speed and fuel consumption throughout the entire flight envelope. This ensures that maximum power and hence agility are maintained at the extremes of range where other MRAAMs have long since ceased being effective. Clearly it will provide the IAF with a real fighting edge while also ensuring that its aircraft remain both relevant and potent well into the future.

For the important air-to-ground role MBDA has a number of solutions that it is also discussing with India. The antiship Exocet AM39 is well known as is the Storm Shadow/SCALP long-range stealthy cruise missile. This latter missile, as well as MBDA’s Brimstone, have proven their superior performance in the most demanding of combat conditions. At the recent Defexpo exhibition in New Delhi in February 2014, MBDA also displayed another cruise missile within the company’s portfolio of products. This was the modular Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile which has the unique capability of being able to count voids as it penetrates a target building, thereby ensuring that it explodes just where it is meant to for maximum effect.

Therefore, for many years to come MBDA will be working hand in hand with the IAF, ensuring that its Mirage, Rafale and Jaguar fleets are best equipped to carry out their respective roles. Of course, MBDA is also working on a new generation of air-launched weapons such as the multi-surface target SPEAR. Though primarily aimed at the next generation JSF F-35 (it will also be integrated onto the UK Eurofighter Typhoon), there is no reason why SPEAR’s next generation capabilities should not also interest India. Importantly, MBDA has already made it clear that it is eager to work with the Indian defence industry sector and to share technology at the highest level. In this respect there is certainly a strong prospect that Europe’s most innovative technologies in the airlaunched domain will be made available and shared with India, not only now but also in the many years to come.