Thread by @ukshahi

IAF is bringing home first batch of fully loaded Rafales in July only.
Rafales will be armed with Meteor air to air missiles that fly at Mach 4+ speed with a 150 km range.
Meteors can engage & destroy multiple targets if a hostile aircraft attack formation comes within range.

Powered by Ramjet engines to fly at Mach 4+, MBDA Meteors are the best in the world for air combat duels with a greater no escape zone for hostile fighters & cruise missiles than any comparable BVR weapon.
China & Pakistan do not have missiles of this class in their inventories.

This particular missile in Rafales gives IAF complete air dominance over both Pakistan & China. Meteors have a higher range and are much more potent than AMRAAMs or any comparable AAM.
No countermeasures can evade Meteors. What makes Meteors different is their propulsion system.

The Phoenix, R33, AMRAAM all have rocket engines that deliver a certain amount of thrust over certain duration of flight after which the motor burns out. The missile then glides at high speed to its target that it tracks through radar.

The longer the distance a rocket powered missile has to travel to its targets, the less energy the missile will have for its terminal phase of flight.
The momentum decreases and a fast jet that has counter measures and good agility and manouevering ability can evade the missile.

The Su30 MKIs of the IAF were able to evade AMRAAMs fired by Pakistan's F16s on 27th Feb during the post Balakot air engagement.
In comparison to AMRAAMs and others, the 190 KG Meteors have a supersonic jet engine, called a Ramjet.

So instead of burning up all its fuel right after launch, a Meteor can throttle its engine back during cruise, thus saving fuel.
As it approaches its target it can throttle up, making its terminal attack at its highest possible energy state at Mach 4.5 even over long ranges.

This Ramjet engine helps the Meteor missile engage and destroy rapidly manoeuvring targets like China's Sukhoi S30 , J11 jets and even their J20 stealth fighter if required.
The meteors are the best AAMs in their class. F35s too are inducting them.

Besides the meteors, Rafales also carry short to medium range MBDA Air to Air Mica Missiles, having a range of upto 60-80 km. These 116 Kg missiles have a solid rocket engine and are known to hit aerial targets within their range with accuracy without failing.

Each Rafale can also carry two fire & forget Scalp cruise missiles to hit high-value fortified targets well over even 300-350 km away.
The missile has a range of 250-400 km and is powered by a turbojet at Mach 0.8.

Besides missiles, Rafales carry both laser guided as well as unguided bombs.
One important advantage of Rafales over other fighters is their stealth technology and low Radar Cross Section(RCS).
Although not as stealth as F35s, Rafales have incorporated stealth tech successfully.

The French jet’s wings and fuselage are primarily composed of radar-absorbent composite materials and lightweight titanium.  Other stealthy design features include S-shaped engine inlets, serrated edges and a channel exhaust cooling scheme designed to reduce infrared signature.

This is the fully loaded Rafale in its full glory. If 2 more squadrons of Rafales are ordered, the deal will be less costlier as fixed costs covering India specific enhancements, training equipment and infrastructure have already been made.

Rafales will be more effective than Su 30MKIs in high altitudes. Seeing the excellent record of Mirage 2000s in IAF Service it is safe to say that Rafales with Su-30 MKIs & Tejas can put up IAF Supremacy for upto 2045-50 till 5th Gen fighters come into scene as mainstay aircraft.

The information tweeted above regarding weapons system is from information available in public domain. It has been taken and compiled from what is easily available in public domain and various media reports.