Rafale to help counter shortfalls: BS Dhanoa, IAF Chief

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force here on Wednesday strongly defended the government administered 36 Rafales jet deal even as it stares at further depletion of its fighter squadron and is desperately pushing to bring the numbers up by 2035.

The IAF, however, pointed out that the current authorised strength of 42 fighter squadrons will not meet the combined strength of India’s two adversaries China and Pakistan. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa said India needs to match force levels with her neighbours. According to him, Rafales and S-400 missile defence system is the government’s way of strengthening the IAF to counter its shortfalls.

Backing the Rafale deal, Dhanoa explained that an emergency purchase of aircraft under an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), like in the case of these jets, is not a first. “The history is that the government had undertaken emergency purchases of fighter aircraft on several occasions in the past. In January 1983, the Pakistan Air Force had inducted the first lot of F-16s. In response to this serious threat, the government had approached the Soviet Union which at that time didn’t have a fourth generation fighter, so they gave us two squadrons of MiG-23. Subsequently,when fourth generation fighter became available in 1985 we bought two squadrons of Mirage-2000 from France,” he said at a seminar on ‘IAF Force Structure: 2035’.


He added, “It is pertinent to note that all these procurements were of two squadrons and under the umbrella of an IGA.”