Less than a month ago we announced significant progress in negotiations between France and India regarding a contract to replace Russia’s Mikoyan MiG-29K Fulcrum-D. In its Wednesday 4 January 2023 issue, the flagship business daily “Le Tribune” went a step further by announcing the signing of a contract in the coming weeks.. This will be the first, and perhaps the only, export of the Dassault Aviation Rafale M. Like the Air and Space Force and the French Navy, that isIndian Air Force AndIndian Navy it will then fly with the same 4.5 generation fighter.

For next March, in a few weeks therefore, we can expect the official signing of the contract. Why such a date and not this January? As it was a state visit to India by the President of the Republic, Mr. Emmanuel Macron. However, such a contract must involve the Élysée!
So we can read here and there that such a barouf for just twenty-six combat aircraft is disproportionately high, that Dassault Aviation has secured a much larger order for Rafale, and that in the end it’s a lot of noise for not much. And this is plain wrong, save for the fact that the Clodoaldian aircraft manufacturer has won a bigger contract.

Except that the Dassault Aviation Rafale M’s victory over the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet was totally unexpected some time ago. Not that French planes are inferior to their American competitors, right! It might even turn out to be more versatile than this one. In fact, it’s his nature as a hunter on-board that makes these sales amazing and, frankly, quite astonishing. The Rafale M was never thought of for export, even meeting the requirements of the French Navy which wanted it for its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. In the 1990s, where it was really thought of, no one could have imagined that three decades laterIndian Navy going to buy it to replace a very disappointing Russian fighter derived from the mythical MiG-29 Fulcrum interceptor.

So of course our bird of ill omen would say that we should know how to keep our senses and this contract is not signed yet. They may be right, or at least in their minds. But when you see that even for the exclusively English-language media, though not specifically considered pro-French, the masses are saying that the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet has lost, you can say to yourself that yes it smells so good.
Case to follow.

Photo © Navy.