This is perhaps the first categorical statement by the government on the fate of the 29 people on board the IAF workhorse.
"What I said was if we had Rafale at the time (of aerial dogfight), then none of our fighter jets would have gone down and none of theirs saved," he added.
Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said the recent induction of Rafale jets along with previous acquisitions of C-17 Globemaster aircraft as well as Chinook and Apache helicopters have provided the IAF with substantial tactical and strategic capability enhancement.
The plea also seeks details of comparative prices during UPA and NDA rule.
The navy wants to spend Rs 40,000 crore on INS Vishal, a choice the army and air force oppose. This is as much about turf as about funding. explains Ajai Shukla.
India's voting pattern in the United Nations with regard to the Israel-Palestine conflict is lately marked by a calibrated distancing from Israel, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The Made in France Rafales are clearly not the best advertisement for Modi's Atmanirbhar agenda, but as long as none of its parts have Made in China embossed on them, we guess it is chaal se as the Amadavadis would say.
In his PIL, Sharma alleged discrepancies in the fighter jet deal with France and sought stay on it.
'Overlying his idealism was a hatred of war and of all things military. He gave no deep thought to politico-military matters and this prevented him from making sound security decisions.'
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The defence minister also called the bickering against the deal as "disservice" to the armed forces, asserting that urgent requirement of the Indian Air Force was the main reason for sealing it.
The government has adopted a multi-pronged approach involving the Army, the Indian Air Force and the Navy as well as diplomacy and economic measures to send out a firm and clear message to China that its misadventure in eastern Ladakh was not acceptable at all.
Quantity has a quality of its own. That is why the USAF and the Israeli air forces have large fleets of single-engine F-16 fighters. That is also the logic for India's MiG-21 fleet and for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft that will replace it, writes Ajai Shukla
Overcoming tough competition from Eurofighter Typhoon, French aviation company Dassault's Rafale fighter jet has won Indian Air Force's mammoth deal for 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft worth Rs 52,000 crore.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has voiced his concern at Dassault's reported reluctance to meet the terms of the IAF tender, which required the French company to guarantee the 108 fighters that HAL would build in India, after the first 18 were supplied fully-built in France.
Negotiations for procurement of Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force will begin this month and the multi-billion dollar deal will be finalised soon.
I don't feel that as a G7 it properly represents what's going on in the world. It's a very outdated group of countries.
The Rafale fighter jet will take part in the rehearsals on Thursday for the five-day 12th edition of Asia's premier air show beginning on February 20
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The IAF has just 33 squadrons, 9 short of the 42 squadrons needed to tackle China and Pakistan together, says Ajai Shukla.
While reserving the verdict, the apex court had said that the pricing details of Rafale jets could only be discussed after it decides on whether to make it public.
The sources said the IAF has briefed the defence ministry about the incident and that the Indian mission in Paris has been in touch with French authorities.
From Typhoons soaring over the snowy mountains of the Falkland Islands to Red Arrows flying over Buckingham Palace, the images submitted in the Royal Air Force Photographic Competition captures the heroics and skills of Britain's frontline fighters. Over 1,000 photos and 25 videos were submitted by military and civilian photographers alike across 13 categories before being whittled down by a panel of judges. Here are some of the favourites.
"But if you need a reminder of who he is, just look at his career stats and grand slams that he won."
Which of the two aircraft will India chose? Let's take a closer look at the two aircraft.
The upgraded Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft will be installed with India-made multi-function displays under an Indo-French partnership, as part of a programme to enhance the operational life of multi-role fighters by around 20 years.
Taking on the Congress over the Rafale deal, the defence minister asserted that 'there is something different between defence deal and deal in defence.'
The plane was last detected in the skies over Greece, about 40 minutes from Athens, according to Sky News Arabia.
DGCA panel has proposed tests be conducted even before a candidate is inducted into a flying training institute
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India's enemies be warned: The Rafale deal will bring a sea change in India's defence preparedness.
India won't pay more than $7 billion for 36 Rafale aircraft. The French want $11 billion.
The IAF is taking these emergency measures in the wake of reports that its fighting squadron strength has plunged to a low of 39 squadrons and reports that Pakistan is on the threshold of buying more F-16 fighters from United States.
India may go beyond the purchase of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft.
"These observations from three members were given to me as the INT chairman. This was not a dissent note," he said.
Rescue and relief efforts were going on at war-footing in cloudburst-hit Leh region, as 81 foreigners and six tour guides were on Monday rescued by the Air Force from Zanskar Valley. The death toll has mounted to 165 and 400 others remain missing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reached Ahmedabad over an hour before Trump did, was present at the airport to welcome the US president at the airport.
On Sunday morning Eastern US time, four astronauts will zoom into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Commanding the spaceflight is Raja Chari, a United States Air Force colonel.
While its operating radius remains secret, a back-of-the-envelope calculation indicates it can easily strike targets 1,000 kilometres away and return to base.
The cancellation of the project has far-reaching implications for the IAF, for which this was once its high-tech future fighter.
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