In order to maintain the serviceability of its two 4th generation Mirage 2000 fighters, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will acquire 24 second-hand Mirage 2000 fighters, made by Dassault Aviation, thus it will also secure parts for its two existing squadrons.
The IAF has initiated a contract worth 27 million euros to buy the fighters, and as per reports, eight of which are in ready-to-fly condition and the per-aircraft acquisition cost will be 1.125 million euros as logistics are being formulated to ship the other fighters to India in containers.
It was the Mirage fighters that were flown by our pilots when India bombed Islamic Jihadi terror camps in Balakot in 2019, and right now it is undergoing a mid-life upgrade and the acquisition of the second-hand aircraft being the immediate need for 300 critical spares.
France, a major defence partner of India is replacing this aircraft which it thinks is technologically obsolete in the current environment and IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhaduaria decided to go in for the purchase.
Out of the 24 fighters, 13 are in complete fly-away condition with engine and airframe intact with eight of them (nearly half a squadron) ready to fly after servicing. The remaining 11 fighters are partially complete but with fuel tanks and ejection seats, which will be used to secure parts for IAF’s two existing squadrons of the fighter.
In 1985, the IAF purchased around 50 fourth-generation Mirage 2000 C and B fighters but the maintenance contract had expired in 2005, so another contract was signed in 2015-2016 with Dassault who is the original equipment manufacturer.
India also plans to manufacture original equipment and spares under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign to ensure there is no shortage of spares till the time the fighter is decommissioned and ensure supply chains to India for future acquisitions as fighters abroad reach obsolescence much faster than in India.
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