NEW DELHI: Three more Rafale fighters touched down in India from France on Wednesday night, so as to add to the eight such Omni-role jets already inducted by the IAF.
The three Rafales have been refuelled in mid-air by Airbus MRTT tankers of the UAE Air Force, in yet one more indication of shut navy ties with the Gulf nation, throughout their over 7,000-km flight to the Jamnagar airbase.
IAF has now inducted 11 of the 36 twin-engine Rafales, that are additionally able to delivering nuclear weapons, underneath the Rs 59,000 crore deal inked with France in September 2016. All 36 shall be delivered by end-2022.
The 4.5-generation fighters have a fight vary of 780-km to 1,650-km, with out mid-air refuelling, relying on the character of their mission. The IAF fighters are armed with lengthy stand-off weapons just like the over 300-km vary `Scalp’ air-to-ground cruise missiles.
The fighters are additionally being geared up with the top-notch Meteor air-to-air missiles, which with a strike vary of 120 to 150-km can outgun any missile that may at the moment be unleashed by Pakistani or Chinese jets.
IAF has additionally ordered the “Hammer” air-to-ground precision-guided munitions for the Rafales, in a deal that got here final 12 months amidst the continuing navy confrontation with China in japanese Ladakh.
With a strike vary of 20 to 70-km, the Hammer munitions are designed to destroy bunkers, hardened shelters and different targets in all terrains, together with the mountainous one in Ladakh.
