India's Rafale vs Pakistan's F-16: With air prowess in spotlight, how the fighter jets compare

India has launched precision strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response for the Pahalgam attack.

‘Operation Sindoor’ targeted nine locations – in Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Bahawalpur, Rawalakot, Chakswari, Bhimber, Neelum Valley, Jhelum, and Chakwal.

India used its Rafale jets armed with Scalp (Storm Shadow) missiles and armed with Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range (Hammer) precision bombs.

These jets were up against the Pakistan’s F-16s.

But how do the fighter jets compare?

The basics

India’s Rafale jets are made by France’s Dassault Aviation.

Pakistan’s F-16s, also known as the Fighting Falcons, was developed by General Dynamics.

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They are manufactured by US weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

While the Rafale jets are 4.5 generation machines, the F-16s are fourth-generation fighters.

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The Rafale is powered by twin engines, while the F-16 is a single-engine craft.

Electronics and weapons

As per Wion, Rafale jets have low radar observability because of their semi-stealth airframe.

They also come equipped with an advanced AESA radar (RBE2-AA).

As mentioned earlier, the Rafale jets are equipped with the Scalp (Storm Shadow) missiles and Hammer bombs.

As per India Today, the Rafale jets also come with 13 India-specific improvements.

This includes the Meteor beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile, advanced electronic warfare suites, and superior radar and communication systems.

As per Wion, Rafale’s  SPECTRA EW suite is among the best in its class.

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It comes with active jamming, threat identification, radar decoys, and countermeasures against surface-to-air missiles and enemy radar.

As per Eurasian Times, the system can spot 40 targets at a range of 145 kilometres.

The system can also jam and copy enemy radar – making it harder for the F-16s to get a read on it.

Indian Rafale fighters are also being equipped with the X-Guard fiber-optic towed decoy system – which allows them to dodge both air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles.

The F-16s come equipped with AIM-120C5 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) missiles and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs).

Which fighter is better?

The Rafale is undoubtedly the superior fighter.

While the F-16s’ AMRAAM worried India initially, the arrival of the Rafale with the BVR missile completely upended their advantage.

As Eurasian Times notes, the Rafale dominates the F-16 in BVR combat.

The Rafale’s Meteor has the biggest ‘no-escape zone’— the area in which the target cannot either avoid getting hit or the likelihood of a death shot is extremely high.

The Meteor has a range of 120 kilometres compared to the AMRAAMs 100 kilometres.

While the F-16 is great in dogfights thanks to its lighter airframe and high thrust-to-weight ratio, closing the distance for the F-16s will be a big challenge.

The Rafale’s manouverability and system also gives it an advantage when the encounter is drawn out.

The Rafale’s electronics and stealth also gives it a huge advantage over the F-16.

The advanced AESA radar also lets the Rafale have the first-shot capability over the F-16s.

India Today also pointed out that Pakistan faces numerous challenges when it comes to maintaining  its aging fleet of F16s.

The fleet, around 75 fighters, faces maintenance challenges due to Pakistan’s financial issues and strict US rules on them being used purely in a defensive capacity.

India, on the other hand, has no such constraints with its Rafale fighters.

The Rafale and F-16 have never come up against each other barring in NATO exercises, as per Eurasian Times.

Little wonder then that the eyes of the world are on the clash between the two jets.

With inputs from agencies