Soldier On
Frontline Indian Air Force base in Hasimara in West Bengal is likely to be one of the bases for a Rafale squadron, informed sources said on Friday. The first squadron is likely to be based at the Sarsawa base in Uttar Pradesh. One more base for the third squadron remains to be identified. Each of … Read more
In a first for any Road launch, Six fighter jets of the Indian Air force (IAF) landed on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, which has been thrown open to the public on Monday. 3Sukhoi jets and 3 Mirage 2000s took part in the exercise. Last week, an IAF jet was seen practicing landing on a 3.2 km stretch, exclusively marked for … Read more
India has kick-started a race to supply fighter jets for its air force in what could be among the world’s most lucrative military aerospace contracts, with international defence companies lining up to pitch for as much as $10bn worth of business. ompanies worldwide have received letters in the past few days from the Indian government … Read more
The Indian Air Force (IAF) would like to induct more Rafale fighter planes, but any decision on this would be taken in the future depending on desirability, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said on Tuesday. “We would like to have more (Rafales) but it is a decision which will be taken in the near future, … Read more
The Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group’s ambitions in the defence equipment space received a fillip with the announcement of a joint venture, Dassault Reliance Aerospace Pvt. Ltd, with French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation SA that is in line to benefit from a Rs24,500 crore seven-year offset deal. In September, India inked a deal to buy 36 … Read more
It’s finally jet, set and go for the IAF after an agonising wait of 16 years since it first demanded new multi-role fighters. India and France on Friday inked a 7.87 billion euro deal for 36 Rafale fighters, which with their state of the art 150-km range Meteor air-to-air missiles will have a clear combat … Read more
As India and France get set to sign a Euro 7.87 billion contract for 36 French Rafale fighters, details are emerging on a previously undisclosed part of the deal, which will see India acquiring the Meteor, arguably the World’s Most Advanced Air-to-Air missile . Sources tracking the final negotiations have confirmed that the IAF’s Rafales … Read more
The eagerly awaited final clearance for the Indo-French Rafale deal could come any day now, with the price of the combat aircraft expected to be finally brought down from €11.6 billion to €7.8 billion. The protracted and tough negotiations in this deal will save crores of rupees from the Indian exchequer. Rafales are twin-engine medium … Read more
India’s struggle to modernise its Soviet-era fighter aircraft fleet with 36 Rafale multirole fighter jets may soon be a reality as the file on acquiring them has reportedly reached the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for approval. In January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande had signed an intergovernmental agreement, leaving the task … Read more