SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Dassault Aviation Ltd have entered into an MoU that will clear the path for the integration of the Indian-made weapons system on the Rafale fighter jet. Indian-made Astra Mk1, Mk2, and Mk3 Beyond Visual range air-to-air missiles will be the first missile systems that will be integrated into the French build Rafale fighter jets.
BDL also has plans to integrate DRDO-developed long-range precision-guided anti-airfield Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) on the Indian Rafale fleet. MoU will clear India’s plans to export these weapons to other Rafale operators in the region that are interested.
After Su-30MKI and LCA-Tejas Mk1A, the Rafale fighter fleet will be the third fighter type in the IAF inventory to adopt Astra Mk1 BVRAAM missiles. Astra will be replacing the aging MICA IR and RF BVRAAMs that do not have the range and capabilities to match the performance of the Astra Mk1, while Meteor BVRAAMs will continue to remain the most advanced BVRAAM on the Rafale fleet.
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