An Indian Air Force team, led by a two-star officer, is currently in France to review the progress of the Rafale project, including as the second group of fighters will arrive at their base of operations at Ambala in the coming weeks. , family officials. with events, he said Thursday.
The team, led by the deputy chief of air personnel (projects), arrived in France earlier this week for a scheduled review of the project, officials said.
Five Rafale aircraft out of 36 ordered by the IAF arrived at Ambala airbase on July 29 after a stopover at Al Dhafra airbase near Abu Dhabi, although a formal induction ceremony was held later on on September, 10th.
Officials said the next batch of three or four Rafale jets is expected to arrive in the next few weeks (the date is being finalized) and will further increase the IAF’s ability to rapidly deploy advanced aircraft amid tensions with the neighbors China and Pakistan.
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The IAF expects three or four Rafale jets to be delivered every two months, and all the jets are likely to join the air force’s combat fleet by the end of the year.
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Rafale fighters, the first imported aircraft to join the IAF in 23 years after the Russian Sukhoi-30 aircraft entered service in June 1997, have significantly enhanced the IAF’s offensive capabilities.
The IAF is operating the Rafale fighter jets in the Ladakh theater, where the army is on high alert to deal with any provocation from China, even as military and diplomatic talks have failed to reduce friction in the sensitive Ladakh theater. .
IAF chief air chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria recently said that the integration of the Rafale fighter jets brought a platform armed with advanced weapons, sensors and technologies that gave the IAF an operational and technological advantage. “Combined with the enhanced operational capabilities of our current combat fleet, it gives us the ability to fire first and strike deep and hard, even in contested airspace,” said the IAF chief.
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The planes were ordered from France in September 2016 under a government-to-government deal worth 59 billion rupees. India-specific upgrades to the Rafales include a helmet-mounted sight, radar warning receivers, flight data recorders with storage for 10 hours of data, infrared search and track systems, inhibitors, engine start capability cold to operate from high altitude bases and towed decoys to ward off incoming missiles.
The twin-engine aircraft is capable of carrying out a variety of missions: land and sea attack, air defense and air superiority, reconnaissance and deterrence of nuclear attacks. It can carry almost 10 tons of weapons.
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