Ambala (Haryana): Ahead of the arrival of the five Rafale fighter at the Ambala Air Force Station on Tuesday, a defence expert said that the induction of the 'multi-purpose' jet is of utmost importance as China and Pakistan will no longer feel that the IAF has incompetent aircraft.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, IAF Sergeant (retired) Khushbir Singh Dutt said that the Rafale will hold utmost importance for the Indian Air Force as it is a multi-purpose aircraft.
"We need 43 air squadrons ready to attack. But at present, we only have 34, eight of which might get grounded in a few years. Hence the Rafale is extremely important as it is a multi-purpose aircraft," he said.
"China and Pakistan constantly had an eye on India, maybe because we did not have competent aircraft. But with the induction of Rafale, they won't look towards us," he added.
Nearly four years ago, India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France for 36 Rafale jets under a Rs 59,000-crore deal to boost the IAF's combat capabilities.
Read: First batch of 5 Rafale aircraft to arrive in Ambala today
"The Rafale has a maximum speed of 2,130 kmph, and a target range of 3,370 kilometres. The missiles are capable of air-to-air attacks and even air-to-ground attacks. However, the best part is that it can also destroy air missiles fired towards it," Dutt further explained.
Why Ambala?
The first squadron of the Rafale jets will be stationed at the Ambala airbase. The five Rafales are scheduled to be inducted into the IAF on Wednesday, though a formal induction ceremony would be held later.
No 17 Squadron, the "Golden Arrows", has been resurrected at the Ambala base to operate the Rafale aircraft. The resurrection ceremony in September 2019 was presided over by then Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, who had commanded the 17 Squadron during the Kargil conflict in 1999.
The IAF has undertaken major infrastructure upgrades at the Ambala base for the deployment of the first Rafale squadron. Built-in 1948, the airbase is located on the east side of Ambala in Haryana and is used for military and government flights.
Read: IAF sets Jodhpur airbase as backup in case of weather issue in Ambala
On why Ambala was chosen, Dutt said that its proximity to the international borders made the base extremely crucial to India's defence.
"Ambala is a forward base. Within a range of 150 to 400 kilometres, both the Pakistan and China borders are covered. Hence, if the aircraft takes off from Ambala, it can be at the border within minutes," he said.
The airbase has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MIG-21 Bison. The squadron of BrahMos - India war fleet's supersonic missile - is also stationed here. The Mirage fighters that were used for the air strike in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack had taken off from here.
(With inputs from PTI)
