India's Rafale Fighter Jet Fleet To Get Meteor Air-To-Air Missiles Boost: Report
These missiles are also part of the 26 naval Rafales that are scheduled to arrive over the next few years.
India is set to boost its aerial combat capabilities with the planned acquisition of a significant number of Meteor air-to-air missiles for the Indian Air Force’s frontline Rafale fighter jets, according to a report by news agency ANI.
The Indian Air Force had earlier acquired Meteor missiles as part of the first batch of 36 Rafale jets purchased from France in 2016. The same missiles are also included in the weapons package for the 26 naval Rafales that will be delivered over the next few years.
Currently, the Rafale fleet is the only combat aircraft in the Indian Air Force capable of firing the European long-range Meteor missiles, which have a strike range of up to 200 kilometres. According to defence sources quoted by ANI, a proposal worth around Rs 1,500 crore to procure additional Meteors, manufactured by European firm MBDA, is at an advanced stage in the Defence Ministry and is expected to receive final approval shortly.
India demonstrated its long-range strike capability during Operation Sindoor in May this year, when it successfully destroyed Pakistani military and terrorist targets, forcing Islamabad to seek a ceasefire within four days. Indian jets used long-range standoff weapons, while the Pakistan Air Force attempted retaliation with Chinese-origin air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles but failed to hit any targets.
Sources said Pakistan fired a large number of PL-15 air-to-air missiles without success. Pakistan has been procuring these missiles in significant quantities from China in recent years.
In parallel, India has initiated a major programme to advance its beyond-visual-range capabilities, planning to procure around 700 Astra Mark 2 air-to-air missiles, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. With a range of over 200 kilometres, these missiles will be integrated into the Su-30 and LCA Tejas fleets.
Alongside the Meteors, the Rafale fleet may also be equipped with an indigenous anti-radiation missile in the future.
