Indian Rafales practise mountain night flying for Ladakh in Himachal Pradesh
The first batch of Rafale fighter jets inducted in Indian Air Force’s Golden Arrows squadron are ‘fully operational’.
Editorial Staff
Indian Rafales practise mountain night flying for Ladakh in Himachal Pradesh
India’s newly-acquired five Rafale fighters are practising night flying in the mountainous terrain of Himachal Pradesh so that the Golden Arrows squadron with its Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and SCALP air-to-ground stand-off weapon will be ready if the situation deteriorates on the 1,597 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh sector, people familiar with the matter said.
The first batch of Rafale fighters, which landed at the Indian Air Force air base at Ambala on July 29, are “fully operational” with the first 18 platforms to be placed in Ambala and the next 18 fighters to be based in Hasimara air base near the border with Bhutan. India has contracted to purchase 36 jets made by Dassault Aviation, South Block officials said.
A government official said the top-of-the-line fighter jets are staying away from the LAC lest the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) radars in occupied Aksai Chin identify their frequency signatures and use it to jam in the worst case …
