The Indian Air Force (IAF) will raise its second squadron of Rafale fighter jets at the strategically important Hasimara Air Force base in West Bengal by next month.
Hasimara is an important airbase for IAF operations due to its geographic proximity to Bhutan and the Chumbi Valley, where the Doklam tri-junction lies between India, Bhutan and China. This is where a standoff took place between Indian and Chinese troops in 2016.
“Second Rafale Squadron is being raised at the next Main Operating Base (MOB) Hasimara in mid-April this year,” said an Indian Air Force official.
The first squadron is already operational in Ambala after the first batch of five Rafale aircraft landed on 29 July 2020. These aircraft were officially inducted on 10 September at Ambala Air Base into the 17 ‘Golden Arrows’ Squadron.
The Ambala airbase is also strategically very important as it is very close to the border with Pakistan and due to the fact that it can also operate near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The Indian Air Force has so far received 11 jets out of the 36 that were ordered from France. Six more jets are expected to be delivered in a month.
The remaining fighters will be delivered by April 2022 as IAF pilots are being trained in France.
The two squadrons of Rafale jets will add more teeth to the IAF’s depleting fleet strength. The new 4.5 generation fighters will operate in Ambala and Hasimara against Pakistan on the western front and China on the eastern sector, respectively.
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