The Indian Air Force’s most advanced fighter jets, the Dassault-made Rafale fighter jets recently carried out training drill in the Indian Ocean Region. Four Indian Air Force Rafale jets performed various exercises, including air-to-air refuelling in the region, photographs of which have been shared by the IAF on its official Twitter handle. “Four IAF Rafales flew a long-range mission for over six hours into the IOR. The aircraft “fought” through a large force engagement en route to their Weapon Release Point,” Indian Air Force stated. While the exercise was carried out a few days ago, the IAF has released the information now.
The Rafale is a 4.5-generation aircraft and has helped India regain its supremacy over Indian sub-constituent skies with long-range air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles along with advanced radar and electronic warfare capabilities. India signed a government-to-government deal with France for the Rafale jets and all the aircraft have joined IAF. A total of 36 Rafales were delivered to India in flyway condition and two squadrons have been setup, one in North and one in South.
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The Indian Air Force inducted the Rafale fighter aircraft in 2020 only a few months after the stand-off with China started and was quickly operationalised. The French firm Dassault Aviation is also involved in the maintenance of the aircraft whose serviceability is over 75 per cent.
The mission lasted six hours and involved mid-air refuelling of the Rafales that have significantly boosted the capabilities of the IAF. The planes are the most advanced fighter jets with the IAF, and are even better than the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, which has long served the India as an advanced jet.
The IAF jets carried out a drill over the Indian Ocean simulating a scenario where they outmanoeuvred hostile warplanes to launch weapons at their target, reported ANI. The exercise is seen as very important in the Indian Ocean Region as it serves as a strategic bridge with the nations in India’s immediate and extended maritime neighbourhood.
The IAF Rafale can be equipped with the long-range Meteor air-to-air missiles and the Scalp air-to-ground missiles. The IAF has also added the HAMMER missile to the Rafale’s arsenal as it was required for carrying out precision attacks at shorter distances, reports ANI.
Source: Bureau
