Jun Sarker
New Delhi: After the Central Government on Thursday cleared a landmark ₹3.25 lakh crore defence deal, India is set to procure SCALP cruise missiles from France to arm its expanding Rafale fleet. The decision builds on the missile’s combat effectiveness demonstrated during Operation Sindoor last year, when IAF Rafales struck and destroyed Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters deep inside Pakistan.
Rafale fighters, capable of striking targets 500 km away and dubbed “game changers” for air dominance, will integrate three key missiles: Meteor (beyond-visual-range air-to-air), SCALP (long-range cruise for precision ground strikes), and HAMMER (guided munitions).
During Operation Sindoor on May 6-7, Rafales launched SCALPs to devastating effect against terror bases in Muridke and Bahawalpur, followed by strikes on 12 Pakistani airbases destroying high-value assets like fighter jets and spy planes.The deal encompasses 114 Rafale jets—18 flyaway from Dassault Aviation, 96 manufactured in India via private partnerships—elevating India’s total order to 176 (plus 36 existing IAF jets and 26 Rafale-M for Navy at ₹63,000 crore).
These armaments will enhance multi-domain superiority against China and Pakistan, with Meteor orders advancing and SCALP/HAMMER integration planned for naval variants arriving 2029-2031.
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