While India and China remain locked in a military face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, France has dispatched the first five Rafale fighter aircraft which would be a game-changer in the current scenario when India is facing border tension.
The flabbergasting images of the Rafale jets being re-fuelled mid-air at 30,000 feet were posted on Twitter by the Indian embassy in France. “Indian Air Force appreciates the support provided by French Air Force for our Rafale journey back home,” tweeted Indian Air Force.
As per reports, the fighter jets were getting a quick drink from an air-to-air-refueller over the Mediterranean Sea.
The jets flew out from the Merignac air base in the French port city of Bordeaux and after covering a distance of nearly 7,000 km landed at Al Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates on Monday night.
The fleet comprises three single seater- and two twin seater- aircraft. They will be inducted into the Indian Air Force as part of its No 17 Squadron, also known as the Golden Arrows at Ambala air base. The Air Force has stated that the pilots, ground crew and the fighter will be operationally ready as the jets reach India.
Rafale is a 4.5 generation aircraft and has the latest weapons, superior sensors and fully integrated architecture. As per reports, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria will receive five Rafale jets that will land at the Ambala air base tomorrow.
Several defence experts and senior IAF officers have state that China's premier fighter jet Chengdu J-20A is no match to Rafale capabilities which has been seen in Afghanistan, Libya and Syria.
China claims that its J-20 is a 5th generation fighter aircraft, however, it has a 3rd generation engine, said a senior IAF officer questioning stealth capabilities of the aircraft. China is now going to buy Russian Su35 to match Rafale.
The officer also said that Rafale is an omni-role aircraft which means it can carry out at least four missions in one sortie. However, China J-20 cannot carry out multiple missions in one go.
Further, the Rafale fighter aircrafts will have HAMMER missiles. It will also be armed with beyond visual range missiles like Meteor, SCALP and MICA, increasing their ability to take on incoming targets from a distance.
The meteor missile in Rafale makes it far more potent than the J-20. The officer also explained that the Rafale engine is better in terms of reliability, longevity and maintainability. The officer further pointed out that Rafale can lift loads up to 1.5 times its weight, which means it can carry weapons and fuel of far greater capacity than the J-20.