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Rafale jets to be inducted into IAF. India’s warplane move explained in 15 news articles
Rafale jets in India: The Rafale fighters are expected to be deployed in the Ladakh sector and the move is seen as India’s attempt to flex muscles where its troops are engaged in a bitter and tense border confrontation with China, where military friction has grown in recent weeks.
Marking a feat, the Indian Air Force will formally induct its latest Rafale fighter jets at the Ambala airbase on Thursday at 10 am in the presence of defence minister Rajnath Singh, officials said Wednesday. French defence minister Florence Parly and Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria are also expected to attend the ceremony.
The acquisition of jets by India is a part of the IAF’s No. 17 Squadron which is also known as the ‘Golden Arrows’.
The new Rafale fighters are expected to be deployed in the Ladakh sector as part of India’s overarching plan to strengthen its military posture in the region. The move is seen as India’s attempt to flex muscles where its troops are engaged in a bitter and tense border confrontation with China, where military friction has grown in recent weeks.
Here is all you need to know about India’s latest warplane move:
Guarding over skies night and day, hail or shine
The arrival of Rafale combat jets last month has added more muscle to the Indian Air Force’s ability to secure our country’s airspace. Here’s a detailed look at all the major aircraft in the IAF’s formidable fleet.
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Rafale vs J-20: Ex-IAF chief Dhanoa calls China’s bluff with ‘two simple questions’
Former Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Friday dismissed claims that the Rafale fighter jets inducted by the Indian Air Force this week had no chance against China’s J-20 stealth fighter.The claims, made by an ‘expert’ in Chinese Communist Party’s tabloid Global Times, said that the Rafale was only superior to the IAF’s Sukhoi-30 MKI jets but a generation below Chinese PLA’s J-20 fighter.
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‘Birds have entered Indian airspace’: Rajnath Singh tweets his welcome to 5 Rafales
The five Rafale aircraft, on their way to the Indian Air Force base in Haryana’s Ambala, were on Wednesday escorted into the Indian air space by Sukhoi fighter jets. Defence minister Rajnath Singh tweeted several photographs and a video of the Rafale jets entering Indian air space.
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Moments after Rafale fighter jets land, Rajnath Singh’s veiled warning to China
While the Indian Air Force (IAF) plan against the threat of Chinese Air Force remains classified, the basic strategy against People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was put to test very successfully during 2018 Gagan Shakti pan-India air exercises. The strategy is simple: Disperse, Absorb, Recoup and Retaliate.
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With Rafales’ induction, IAF will have an edge over neighbours. Here’s how
The new aircraft will significantly enhance the offensive capabilities of IAF, which has for long-planned to update its fighter jet force. Defence experts have said the induction of the controversial Rafale fighter jets will be a “game-changer” for India in regional politics of South Asia.
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‘Shots from 30,000 feet’: Pics show Rafales re-fuelling mid-air on way home
The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets, on their way to India, were seen being re-fuelled mid-air from a French Air Force tanker, and the pictures taken at 30,000 feet were posted on Twitter by the Indian embassy in France.
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IAF may deploy Rafale fighters in Ladakh sector amid border row
The Indian Air Force could deploy its new Rafale fighter jets in the Ladakh sector as part of India’s overarching plan to strengthen its military posture in the region, where Indian and Chinese forces are locked in a tense border confrontation and disengagement has turned out to be a challenging process, people familiar with the developments said on Sunday.
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Rafale, the fighter jet that will be a game changer for India: 10 points
The induction of the controversial Rafale fighter aircraft will be a “game changer” for India in regional politics of South Asia, as far as its neighbours are concerned, defence experts have reiterated.
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Rafale case: The Supreme Court verdict is a boost for transparency
The Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday in the Rafale case came as a setback to the government. The unanimous judgment by the three-member bench, led by chief justice Ranjan Gogoi, overruled the central government’s objections over the admissibility of some documents, which, the latter claimed, were sensitive in nature and had been obtained through “unauthorised photocopying and leakage”.
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CAG compares Rafale deal with similar aircraft offers
The CAG report on capital acquisitions by the IAF may compare the Rafale deal with offers made by other manufacturers whose products were being considered, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon made by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), HT learns.
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Question the government on Rafale
The Rafale deal is back in the news. Writing in The Hindu, its former editor N Ram has shown why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government ended up paying substantially more for 36 fighter aircraft. The article has drawn the ire of the government’s votaries and their responses merit scrutiny. But we also need to go beyond the question of costs and look at the causes and consequences of the decision to scrap the older process for acquiring 126 aircraft.
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‘Give me 20 minutes’: Rahul Gandhi dares PM to one-on-one debate on Rafale
Hours after he opened a debate on the Rafale deal in parliament, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a fresh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to renew the opposition’s demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the purchase of the 36 aircrafts.
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India needs fourth generation aircraft, Rafale fits the bill, IAF tells Supreme Court
As part of a four-hour-long Supreme Court hearing in the Rafale case, air vice marshal J Chalapathi, who has been associated with Rafale aircraft procurement decision, defended the purchase, saying India needed a fourth generation plus aircraft and Rafale fitted the bill.
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‘This is Dassault Aviation’s choice’, says French firm after Hollande’s remarks
It was Dassault Aviation’s choice to partner with the Reliance group, the French company has clarified as a political firestorm raged in India after former president Francois Hollande’s reported remarks on the multi-billion dollar Rafale jet deal on Friday.
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CAG to audit Rafale procurement only after payments are completed
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India will audit the government’s procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France for $8.7 billion, as it does all other deals, but only after the “ deal is fully executed and the payments are completed”, according to a senior CAG official who asked not to be identified.
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