<em>Revenge for the Typhoon! India Upgrades Typhoon with Domestic Missiles to Reverse the Air Combat Situation</em>

For the sake of Rafale's honor! India upgrades Rafale with domestic missiles, saying "a sword honed for 35 years" will reverse the air combat situation.

Although India is unwilling to admit its failure in the Indo-Pakistani air battle, the fact that three Rafale aircraft were shot down is difficult to avoid. Indians are never ones to back down; after reflecting on this, they will quickly upgrade the Rafale aircraft to avenge the Rafale. It is reported that Indian analysis believes that the reason why the Rafale aircraft failed in the air combat is mainly because the "Mica" medium-range air-to-air missile it carries has a range of only 60 to 80 kilometers, which cannot compete with Pakistan's PL-15.

It is reported that during the air battle, Pakistan's J-10C fighter jets launched PL-15 missiles from 180 kilometers away, directly stunning the Indian Rafale aircraft. According to Global Times reports, India has begun to comprehensively upgrade the Rafale aircraft mainly by equipping it with India's domestically produced "Astra" air-to-air missiles. It is reported that this air-to-air missile was developed and manufactured by India after "a sword honed for 35 years." Like the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), it took decades to develop. The "Astra" missile began development in 1990, which started very early.

However, due to technical performance settings exceeding India's manufacturing and control capabilities, many technical defects emerged during the development process of the "Astra," which led to redesigns in 2006 and 2013 respectively. This missile successfully conducted its first live test in March 2025, hitting the target from 100 kilometers away. India hopes to use this "sword honed for 35 years" to change the air combat situation and completely avenge the Rafale aircraft. However, some experts question whether this missile, which increases its range by increasing payload, can perfectly integrate with the Rafale?

Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833227535238156/

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