On December 28, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, the retiring Indian Air Force chief, declared in New Delhi that the IAF requires 200 to 250 medium fighters in addition to the 36 Rafale multi-role fighters that were contracted with French vendor Dassault earlier this year.
The 36-Rafale contract was signed for €7.8 billion (Rs 55,600 cror/Rs 556 billione).
Another 200 Rafales, or comparable fighters, would require €43.3 billion (Rs 310,000 crore/Rs 3.1 trillion), far beyond India’s means given the current defence spending.
But ACM Raha did not hesitate to put the requirement on the table. ‘We have just ordered 36 aircraft and we require more aircraft in the medium weight category to give (the IAF an) entire spectrum of capability,’ he said.
The IAF currently operates just 33 squadrons against an assessed requirement of 42 squadrons needed to tackle China and Pakistan together.
Of these, 11 squadrons of MiG-21s and MiG-27s are operationally suspect, being long overdue for retirement.
12/01/17 Ajai Shukla/The Northlines
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The 36-Rafale contract was signed for €7.8 billion (Rs 55,600 cror/Rs 556 billione).
Another 200 Rafales, or comparable fighters, would require €43.3 billion (Rs 310,000 crore/Rs 3.1 trillion), far beyond India’s means given the current defence spending.
But ACM Raha did not hesitate to put the requirement on the table. ‘We have just ordered 36 aircraft and we require more aircraft in the medium weight category to give (the IAF an) entire spectrum of capability,’ he said.
The IAF currently operates just 33 squadrons against an assessed requirement of 42 squadrons needed to tackle China and Pakistan together.
Of these, 11 squadrons of MiG-21s and MiG-27s are operationally suspect, being long overdue for retirement.
12/01/17 Ajai Shukla/The Northlines
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