IAF Chief Says 36 Rafale Warplanes Not
Enough
RAHUL SINGH ON DEC 28, 2016
SOURCE: MCCLATCHY
SOURCE: MCCLATCHY
Dec. 28--Outgoing air force chief Arup Raha on
Wednesday said the 36 Rafale warplanes ordered from France for $8.7 billion
were not enough and India needed to buy at least 200 such fighter jets to
sharpen its military edge.
Air Chief Marshal Raha, who retires on
December 31, also said the IAF's Russian-origin Ilyushin-78 tanker fleet was
plagued by maintenance problems and more midair refuellers were a
"strategic requirement" to extend the range of fighter planes.
He said the IAF would require the 200 medium-weight
fighters in the next five to 10 years, stressing the need for setting up a new
production line in the country. "The Rafale is an excellent aircraft and
it will prove its worth in any campaign. We have signed only 36...we require
more aircraft in the medium-weight category," Raha said, in his last media
briefing as IAF chief.
India and France signed the Rafale deal on
September 23, 2016, ending long-drawn-out negotiations that began after Prime
Minister Narendra Modi announced the deal during a Paris visit in April 2015.
The planes, equipped with latest weapons and tailored for Indian needs, will be
delivered to the IAF between September 2019 and April 2022.
The IAF has admitted it doesn't have enough
fighters to respond to a joint threat from China and Pakistan. It has 33
fighter squadrons, against the sanctioned 42.
Calling midair refuellers a significant
"force enhancer," Raha said the Il-78 fleet had served the IAF well
but it's availability for missions was poor due to maintenance problems. India
floated a global tender for six midair refuellers in 2007 but it has been
scrapped twice in the final stages.
"Sadly, there have been some problem
areas in the acquisition. A new tender will be out soon," he said.
Raha said the terrorist attack on the Pathankot
air base and the An-32 crash in which 29 people were killed were "the
worst memories of my career."
On the VVIP chopper scam, Raha said former air
chief SP Tyagi, an accused in the case, was a member of the IAF family but
there would be no sympathy for him if the charges were proved. He also said
many agencies were involved in the acquisition and "you can't pin the
blame on one service."
Copyright 2016 - Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Original post aviationpros.com
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