Rafale’s ‘Secrets’ Are Already Public – So What’s the Govt Hiding?

What are the Rafael ‘secrets’ you would want to know, but the government is not telling you?

Would you want to know the price? I’ll tell you.

Would you want to know its specialities? I’ll tell you that too.

The Rafale deal came into existence in April 2015. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India will buy 36 French-manufactured Rafale fighter jets off-the-shelf  from Dassault, a French aircraft builder and integrator. 

While the government said we should not ask about the price of the aircraft, because it could reveal our secrets to the enemies, the government told us they are purchasing a fully-weaponised aircraft.

Despite the government’s efforts to not divulge details, the ‘secrets’ of the Rafale deal are out. Some of these are :-

1. It can fool the enemy’s radar.

2. Can sense the enemy’s radar.

3. Can attack in the air and from the air to the ground.

4. Can carry seven kinds of bombs and missiles.

5. Can carry nuclear weapons.

6. Can launch a precise and unmissable attack.

And many more details like these. How did these secrets come out?

There is a documentary on Amazon Prime which the makers of Rafale have filmed and documented along with filmmakers. This documentary reveals more secrets about the Rafale aircraft than what is revealed in the video, or what the government may like.

Any government can make excuses, such as national interest, commercial confidentiality and secrecy. However, it is known that all players involved in the deal – the manufacturers, sellers and buyers – are aware of every detail.

The question then to ask is, what is it that the government wants to hide from people, and why?

The price of the aircraft might be important, given that even the Supreme Court is now taking an interest in the case. On 1 November, the top court asked the government to produce details of the pricing of the Rafale jets within 10 days. The government said the ‘information was classified’, to which the court asked for a written submission that the details cannot be shared.