Acquisition of the French Rafale fighter aircraft and the Russian S-400 air defence system would go a long way in addressing the depleting squadron strength of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa said on Wednesday. “We had reached an impasse in the MMRCA [Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft] negotiations. We had only three options — wait and hope for the best, withdraw the Request For Proposal (RFP) and start over again or do an emergency purchase... Both the Rafale and the S-400 are like a booster dose to the IAF,” Mr. Dhanoa said at the annual press conference ahead of the Air Force Day on October 8. He flagged the falling fighter squadron strength as the biggest concern for the IAF. The 36 Rafale and the 123 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will arrest the depleting strength but LCA-Mk2 is required to increase the numbers, he stated.
Asked if the IAF was consulted before the deal for 36 Rafales was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Paris, Mr. Dhanoa said, “At the appropriate level the IAF was consulted. IAF had presented the govt with some options.”
PTI adds:
'A game changer when it comes to the subcontinent'
“Rafale is a good aircraft. It will be a game changer when it comes to the subcontinent. We have got a good package, got a lot of advantages in Rafale deal,” he said.
The Opposition, led by the Congress, has been accusing the government of benefiting Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence Ltd. from the Rafale deal. The BJP has dismissed all the allegations as false.
The Rafale controversy took a new turn last month after Francois Hollande, who was French President when the ₹58,000 crore deal was announced, was quoted as saying by French publication Mediapart that France was given “no choice” on selection of the Indian partner for Dassault. The Indian government proposed the name of Reliance as offset partner for the French aerospace giant, he said.
Mr. Modi announced the procurement of 36 Rafales after holding talks with Mr. Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris.
