Russian newspaper: One Mistral can harm hundreds of Rafales

The scandal over France's suspension of the delivery of Mistral-class helicopter carriers to Russia is damaging Paris' reputation as a reliable arms supplier.

Voice of Russia reported that on December 1, French Defense Minister Jean Yves Le Drian will arrive in New Delhi to meet with Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar.

If the deal to sell India 126 Rafale fighter jets is signed, Paris hopes to receive at least $20 billion.

However, New Delhi is in no rush to make a final decision, not least because of the huge cost of the transaction.

The scandal over France's suspension of the delivery of Mistral-class helicopter carriers to Russia is damaging Paris' reputation as a reliable arms supplier.

According to Voice of Russia, the trouble in the Mistral deal is extremely disadvantageous for France. According to various estimates, the fines for breach of contract with Russia alone could reach 3-10 billion euros.

Rafale fighter

However, it seems that for France, the pressure from the US is much greater than all the damage to the country's economy and reputation.

The Russian voice commented that France's dependence on such foreign policy situation cannot but cause concern for India.

"The refusal to transfer the Mistral ship to Russia will certainly have a negative impact on France's image as a reliable arms exporter," said Vladimir Shvarev, Deputy Director of the Center for Analysis of the World Arms Trade.

“First of all, it will affect programs that are being discussed and designed for many years. These are programs like the export of Rafale fighter jets,” Mr. Shvarev said.

"This is a long-term program, including the sale of fighter jets, maintenance and the provision of spare parts. If India buys Rafale, the country will be dependent on France for decades to come," said Mr. Shvarev.

It is easy to imagine that if the US wanted to put pressure on India – for example, when there was some disagreement about cooperation in the WTO – it could force Paris to stop implementing the Rafale contract.

At that time, the Indian Air Force will be at risk of lacking modern fighter aircraft.

Brazil and China have experienced similar risks. According to international media, diplomats from these countries have begun to doubt the prospects of military-technical cooperation with France.

Previously, in early September this year, a source in the Indian Ministry of Defense said that New Delhi was closely monitoring all moves between the parties in the Mistral deal.

This source also said that with a contract worth billions of dollars and already paid, the delay in implementation due to political factors is unacceptable.

It is also worth noting that France's difficult situation is an opportunity for its EU neighbors to take advantage of.

Sweden has sounded out New Delhi about the superiority of its Gripen fighter jet.

Besides, British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon recently told the Times of India that in case of abandoning the contract with France, the UK is ready to supply Eurofighter multi-role fighter aircraft to India.

Rafale is a 4.5 generation twin-engine, delta-wing multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France. It is also the most modern fighter currently used by the French Air Force.

The aircraft is equipped with modern avionics systems, especially the RBE2 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar capable of detecting stealth aircraft.

There is also the Spectra electronic warfare system which is advertised to help the Rafale operate safely under enemy anti-aircraft fire.

With a superior aerodynamic design and the support of the canards, Rafale can make sudden turns in tight spaces.

When maneuvering at supersonic speeds, the air passing over the aircraft's wings is compressed and creates a curtain-like effect.

Rafale can also perform the "cobra" maneuver with the engine almost at idle.

Despite its modest size: 15.27m long; 10.8m wingspan; 5.34m high; range of up to 1,800 km; empty weight of 9,060 kg, Rafale is capable of carrying up to 9.5 tons of weapons.

These weapons include: air-to-air, air-to-ground, anti-radar, air-to-ship missiles, and guided aviation bombs;

According to experts, these parameters of Rafale are even superior to Russia's Su-30 heavy fighter.

However, last October, the Russian Ambassador to India said that Rafale could easily be shot down by Chinese air force Sukhoi fighters (even if they were Chinese-made Sukhoi clones) like... mosquitoes.

(Summary - Young Knowledge)