Exclusive: Ex-Navy Chief On Rafale Jets And Chinese Threat In Indian Ocean

The Indian Navy will quickly get 26 Rafale-M fighter plane, a major improve in its fighter fleet in over a decade. Sources instructed NDTV {that a} government-to-government deal of Rs 63,000 crore will probably be signed quickly between India and France to finalise the deal.

The Navy at present operates the MiG-29K fighter jets for its two plane carriers – INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya. The Navy will induct 26 Rafale-M fighter jets – 22 single-seater fighters and 4 double-seater coach plane. 

“Rafale – A Kinetic Push” 

Former Chief of Naval Workers, Admiral Arun Prakash, spoke to NDTV on the induction of the Rafale fighter jets, explaining the way it will add a “kinetic push within the Navy’s putting energy”. The previous Navy chief additionally spoke on Chinese language plane provider deployments within the Indian Ocean and on the talk over whether or not plane carriers are extra weak to assaults than they’ve ever been.

On a query about what the Rafale addition means for the Navy, Admiral Prakash mentioned, “It’ll add an enormous punch, kinetic punch to Indian Navy’s putting energy in lots of dimensions, air protection, anti-shipping strike, digital warfare, you title it. The Rafale is a wonderful and succesful plane. It is a welcome addition. The Rafale might be half a technology or a technology forward of the MiG-29K. So it should add a punch to the fleet at sea.”

To a follow-up query on the way it provides a punch to the fighter fleet, Admiral Prakash defined, “The MiG-29K was an adaptation of a land-based fighter, the MiG-29. And after we acquired it, it was nearly in a prototype state. It took just a few years to kind out all of the bugs to realize secure operations. However the Rafale comes about 10 years after the MiG-29. So it is electronics, it is information fusion, and the weapons it carries will definitely make it a extra succesful plane than the MiG-29.” 

“It can actually add to the kinetic punch of the fleet at sea, to the plane carriers. After we acquired the Vikramaditya and the Vikrant, we hadn’t factored within the acquisition of the Rafale, or for that matter, every other fighter aside from the MiG-29K, maybe the Tejas.”

The Indian Air Drive operates 36 Rafale fighter jets in two squadrons –  The 17 Squadron (the Golden Arrows) and the 101 Squadron (The Falcons), based mostly in Ambala and Hashimara, respectively. The 4.5 technology multi-role fighter plane is able to conducting all fight aviation missions like air superiority, close-air-support, floor assault missions, digital warfare, and so forth. 

In line with its producer, Dassault Aviation, all of the variants – Rafale C (Air Drive) and Rafale-M (Marine) have the utmost airframe and gear commonality.

‘MiG-29 Was A Hobson’s Selection For Us’

Admiral Prakash, who was carefully concerned through the induction of the INS Vikramaditya, additional defined the rationale behind the induction of the MiG-29 into the Navy and mentioned it was extra of a “Hobson’s alternative for us”.

INS Vikramaditya was a Kiev-class plane provider and was named Admiral Gorshkov in Russia. The acquisition of Gorshkov had been into consideration since 1994, and 10 years later, in 2004, a deal was signed between India and Russia. 

Admiral Arun Prakash oversaw the induction of the plane provider into the Navy. Chatting with NDTV, the previous Navy chief mentioned, “After we have been negotiating for the Gorshkov, which later grew to become the Vikramaditya. That was the late Nineteen Nineties. Then, firstly, there have been no ski-jump succesful plane accessible aside from the Sea Harrier, which we already had. And the Russians have been simply creating the MiG-29 and the Sukhoi-27. We went to the French; we despatched a group to France to judge the Rafale, they usually mentioned, Sorry, at this level, we can’t give you the Rafale-M. And naturally, these days, the political state of affairs didn’t permit us to even ponder buying, say, an F-18 or one thing. After all, aside from the truth that the F-18 had not been proved off the ski-jump.”

“Our selections have been restricted. After which, after we began negotiating for the Vikramaditya-Gorshkov, the MiG-29 was kind of a Hobson’s alternative for us. So we needed to take it. It is solely subsequently that the People supplied the F-18; they proved it off the ski-jump, the French proved the Rafale off the ski-jump, they usually got here to India to exit to do it. After which we had these choices accessible.” The MiG-29K fighter jets have been inducted into the Naval fighter fleet in 2013, and in 2016, India phased out the final remaining Sea Harriers after nearly 30 years of years.

The Boeing F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet underwent operational demonstration exams on the ski-jump facility at INS Hansa in Goa in 2022. Nevertheless, with India’s determination to go for the Rafale, the US fighter jet did not safe a spot within the Indian Air Drive or Navy.

Admiral Prakash mentioned the Rafale fighter jets will probably be an addition to the naval variant of the India-made Tejas fighter jet, which continues to be in trials for the ocean and the long run Twin Engine Deck Primarily based Fighter (TEDBF).

In its 2015 report, the Comptroller Auditor Normal (CAG) highlighted points with the MiG-29K’s airframe, its RD MK-33 engine and its fly-by-wire system, and mentioned the “Plane have been being technically accepted regardless of having discrepancies/anomalies.” 

Chinese language Risk In The Indian Ocean?

To a query on whether or not it is only a matter of time earlier than Chinese language provider battle teams deploy within the Indian Ocean area, Admiral Prakash mentioned, “Sure, the truth that we have not seen a Chinese language job pressure cruising round in our waters is as a result of they lack air cowl, integral air cowl. However as quickly as they’ve three plane, they’ve already acquired two, and a 3rd one is doing trials. However as quickly as they will spare an plane provider, which is able to present air cowl, natural air cowl to their forces, maritime forces, I don’t doubt that they’ll put in an look in our waters.”

“The truth that they have birthing amenities in Djibouti, the place they arrange their first abroad base, signifies that they have logistic assist of their very own, not simply in Pakistan (Gwadar port), which is an ally.”

China has commissioned two plane carriers – Liaoning and Shandong – the previous is a Soviet-era plane provider, which Beijing commissioned in 2012, and the latter is its first domestically constructed provider. The third plane provider, Fujian, is China’s largest and most superior plane provider ever constructed, with a potent plane launching system. Fujian underwent sea trials and is but to be commissioned.

The US Division of Defence, in its newest report on Chinese language naval modernization, mentioned Beijing is reportedly constructing a fourth plane provider much like Fujian and is anticipated to be nuclear-powered

Admiral Prakash mentioned if China comes into our waters, then the closest base is at the very least 3,000 nautical miles away in Hainan, resulting in an prolonged logistical
 Chain for them. So if a necessity arises for them for technical help and logistical assist, then “Djibouti is a superb reassurance” for the Chinese language Navy and “in the event that they get Gwadar, it is going to be a bonus.”

Plane Carriers Extra Weak To Assaults?

Admiral Arun Prakash was a naval aviator and a gallantry award recipient. He was one of many two pilots who have been deputed to the Indian Air Drive through the 1971 warfare, the place he flew the Hawker Hunters and was awarded a Vir Chakra for motion within the air.

Admiral Prakash disagreed with the argument that plane carriers are weak, particularly after the assaults within the Black Sea within the ongoing Russia-Ukraine warfare and drone assaults from Houthis on naval platforms within the Purple Sea. 

“Effectively, inherently, an plane provider is probably probably the most protected warship there may be. It has its fighter cowl. It has radar protection. It has anti-submarine helicopters. So, an plane provider protects the remainder of the fleet. It is the fallacious logic to suppose that it wants escorts. It does want escorts, but it surely’s a mutual type of relationship. And I feel we should give attention to the current occasions,” the previous Navy chief mentioned.

“Firstly, the Houthis have been firing ballistic missiles, I do not understand how succesful these missiles are, at American plane carriers. They’ve all been shot down. No US Navy provider has up to now been affected by that.”

“Secondly, Iran launched just a few hundred missiles at Israel within the current previous. Most of these missiles have been shot down, not simply by the Israeli Iron Dome system, however by US Navy ships which have been parked within the jap Mediterranean. Their anti-ballistic missile protection shot down a lot of the ballistic missiles fired by Iran,” he mentioned.

“This scare of plane carriers being overly prone to missile assaults has now, I feel, been kind of proved in any other case. Plane carriers can defend themselves…So, let’s not frighten ourselves overly concerning the vulnerability of plane carriers. They’ve a lot extra,” Admiral Prakash mentioned.