military OEM
most expedient and
In March 2010, India and France finalcomforting. However,
ised a programme with Dassault Aviation
The Mirage 2000
on account of comfor a comprehensive upgrade of the Mirage
pulsions of the newly
2000H to Mirage 2000-5 Mk 2 standard
represents a long
introduced
Defence
with the MBDA AIM-132 ASRAAM close
tradition of cooperation
Procurement Procedure as well as for
combat missile, new radar systems, missome other considerations, the IAF had to
sion computers, a new weapon suite, elecwith Dassault Aviation
resort to a global tender for a light-weight
tronic warfare system, helmet mounted
initiated over six
air defence aircraft. Against this requiresight, glass cockpit and upgraded data
decades ago
ment, Dassault Aviation had offered the
bus, etc. Thales and MBDA are particinewer version, the Mirage 2000-5 to
pants in the upgrade programme. The first
compete for the contract against three
six aircraft are being upgraded in France,
other contenders. However, when the tenwith the rest in India by HAL under transfer of technology. Under the upgrade, the entire airframe will der document was revised to include medium multi-role combe stripped down to be re-wired and re-equipped. This upgrade bat aircraft (MMRCA), Dassault Aviation replaced the Mirage
will significantly enhance operational capabilities of the Mirage 2000-5 offer with that of the newly developed, most modern
2000 fleet apart from extending the operational life of the multi- fighter aircraft, the Rafale, that undertook its maiden flight in
role fighters by around 20 to 25 years. The Mirage 2000 repre- July 1986 became operational with the French Air Force in
sents a long tradition of cooperation with Dassault Aviation initi- 2006. In the revised tender, Dassault Aviation was now in a stiff
ated over six decades ago. In this period, the French aerospace competition against five of the leading global aerospace majors
major has delivered more than 7,500 civil and military aircraft from the US, Russia and Europe.
The Dassault Rafale is a twin engine, canard delta-wing,
to 75 countries.
multi-role fighter aircraft designed, development and built by
Dassault Aviation. The aircraft is also described by the manufacMedium Multi-Role Aircraft for the IAF
During the early years of the last decade, the IAF initiated a case turers as an omnirole fighter and is endowed with a high level of
for the procurement of 126 combat aircraft to replace its ageing agility and is capable of simultaneously undertaking air supremfleet of MiG-21 air defence fighters especially as time frame for acy, interdiction, reconnaissance and nuclear deterrent missions.
the availability of the indigenously developed light combat air- As opposed to other combat platforms developed in Europe in
craft Tejas was somewhat uncertain. At that point in time, the that period, the Rafale has been built almost entirely by a single
IAF did consider the option of induction of the Mirage 2000-5 nation. The aircraft has been employed in combat successfully
in sufficient numbers to close the gap in the combat fleet. The in air support roles over Afghanistan since 2007, played a major
IAF was happy with the performance of its Mirage 2000 fleet role in the NATO air campaign against Gaddafi’s forces in Libya
and viewed the option of reliance on Dassault Aviation as the in 2011and was deployed for air operations in Mali.
The IAF receives
49 Mirage 2000H
from Dassault
Aviation
The DassaultBreguet/BAC
Jaguar deep
penetration strike
aircraft selected
for induction into
the IAF.
1978
1981
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 HAL.
www.sps-aviation.com
1985
1987-1990
The Jaguar fleet was employed
for reconnaissance missions
in support of the IPKF in Sri
Lanka.
1999
The Jaguar fleet played an active role
in the war with Pakistan in Kargil in
1999, dropping both unguided and
laser-guided bombs.
The Mirage fleet also
rendered yeomen service
during the Kargil War.
ISSUE 5 • 2014
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