Photo gallery: All about Rafale fighter jets

During the no-confidence debate in Parliament on Friday, the issue of Rafale fighter jets deal between India and France were raised on the floor of the House, primarily by Congress president Rahul Gandhi. He rejected government's claims of a secrecy pact with France over the high-profile deal and went on to allege that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had lied to the country under pressure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The allegations were, however, swiftly rejected by the governments of both India and France. But what is the big deal about the Rafale fighter jets, which have triggered a fierce war of words in the country? Here's all you need to know about the fighter jets. (Photo: dassault-aviation.com)

Designed by Dassault, Rafale is a fighter aircraft with a French twin-engine and canard delta wing. The fighter jet is equipped with a wide range of weapons and is designed by its manufacturers to perform some crucial aviation roles, which include air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance and ground support. Besides, the Rafale fighter jets can also be helpful for the armed forces during in-depth strikes, anti-ship strikes and nuclear deterrence missions. According to the Modi government, the deal signed between India and France for the same is bound by a secrecy pact, and hence no information about its cost can be made available on a public platform. (Photo: dassault-aviation.com)

The dimensions of the fighter aircraft are as follows - Wing span 10.90 m, Length 15.30 m, Height 5.30 m (Photo: dassault-aviation.com)

 

There are a total of 14 store stations and 5 heavy-wet store stations. The service ceiling is 50,000 ft. (Photo: dassault-aviation.com)

The overall empty weight is over 9979 kg while the minimum take-off weight is 24494 kg. While the weight of fuel (internal) is 4672 kg, the fuel (external) can go up to 6668 kg. The external load weighs 9525 kg. (Photo: dassault-aviation.com)

The maximum thrust of the Rafale fighter jet is 2 x 7.5 t. The limit load factors are 3.2 g / +9 g. (Photo: dassault-aviation.com)

The maximum speed of the aircraft is M = 1.8 / 750 knots, while the approach speed is less than 120 knots. The landing ground run speed is 450 m (1,500 ft) without drag-chute. (Photo: dassault-aviation.com)