MBDA: celebrating IAF Day during a landmark Year
The Indian Air Force Day in 2020 comes at a special time when the partnership between MBDA and the IAF has just gone even deeper with induction of the first Rafale fighters. It was the great privilege of Eric Beranger, MBDA’s CEO, to be present on such an occasion – the next step in over 50 years of co-operation between MBDA and the IAF.
With Rafale now in the IAF’s inventory, the IAF can field a new and potent suite of weapons from MBDA. Unquestionably the most important is the Meteor, the ramjet- powered and network- enabled beyond visual range air-to-air missile that is widely recognised as a game changer in air combat. Meteor’s throttleable ramjet engine provides sustained high-supersonic power, making it the only missile able to chase down manoeuvring targets at even the longest of ranges.
No less game-changing for the IAF is the SCALP stealthy air-launched cruise missile which also forms part of the Rafale weapons package. This potent weapon will give the IAF an unrivalled and flexible tool to conduct deep strike missions at long ranges against even the most protected hostile targets.
Another MBDA weapon, the MICA provides both the Rafale and the newly upgraded IAF Mirage 2000s with a uniquely flexible approach to air combat. MICA is the only missile in the world featuring two interoperable seekers (active radar and imaging infrared) which makes MICA
highly countermeasure resistant and therefore highly effective.
With their strong reputation as a reliable partner that has supported the Indian Air Force for over 50 years, European missile firm MBDA understands the importance of operational capability and sovereignty for the IAF. For these reasons, the company is very strongly committed to Make in India to deliver both industrial sovereignty and the best of military equipment.
Indian firms are now supplying key components for the new generation missiles which are enhancing combat power of the IAF. For example Indian industry today is manufacturing 15 major subassemblies of the MICA missile, covering various complex technologies including mechanical, electrical, electromechanical and pyrotechnic items. MBDA continues to deepen its relationship with the Indian industry, as exemplified by the recent formation of a joint venture with long-standing partner Larsen & Toubro to deliver a series of important missile programmes under the Make in India category.
The IAF is also getting a major boost with addition of the ASRAAM as its Next Generation Close Combat Missile. With its large rocket motor and clean aerodynamic design, ASRAAM has unrivalled speed and resultant aerodynamic manoeuvrability and range. The ASRAAM gives it high kinematic capability which delivers superior endgame performance for within visual range air combat. MBDA’s ASRAAM missiles significantly enhance the battle capability of India’s Jaguar strike fighters, giving them unrivalled self-protection ability and enhanced ability to penetrate hostile airspace. This highly capable missile could also boost combat capability of other IAF aircraft.
Working with HAL, integration of the Mistral ATAM system on the Dhruv advanced light helicopter (ALH) and the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) has been successfully completed. Key to many of MBDA’s programmes are their ability to be integrated with multiple platforms. By utilising the same weapon across different platforms, not only do aircraft benefit from these capabilities, but there are major cost savings and operational benefits to be found in maintaining inventory of common equipment not to mention the training and logistics benefits. As an example, deployment of the Mistral missile on India’s helicopter platforms gives the possibility of their use in a ground-based VSHORAD role, as the missile is fully compliant with India’s requirements and outperforms capabilities of its rivals.