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.
The triennial exercise will take place for two hours and fifteen minutes during the day, dusk and night, he said.
Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa finished in sixth and seventh position respectively, even as Grandmaster Levon Aronian of the United States reigned supreme in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam.
HAL aims to raise output from the current ceiling of 24 aircraft a year to 30 by the end of 2027
Four Rafale fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force carried out a "strategic" mission over the Indian Ocean region for over six hours, in a significant demonstration of their long-range combat capabilities, people familiar with the operation said on Wednesday.
On Friday, September 9, 2022, Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, chief of the air staff, flew a sortie on a Rafale aircraft with his fighter pilot son Squadron Leader Mihir V Chaudhari as part of a training mission at the Air Force Station in Hasimara, West Bengal.
The negotiations on cost and techno-commercial details relating to India's proposed procurement of 26 Rafale-M fighter jets and three Scorpene submarines from France are not yet concluded, sources said on Tuesday.
'Operation Sindoor had three objectives.' 'One, destroy the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters at Muridke and the Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters at Bahawalpur.' 'Second, deter and defend any counterstrike by Pakistan.' 'And third, if they persist, demonstrably deliver counterforce punishment.' 'All of the three boxes, the IAF checked,' points out Shekhar Gupta.
The MiG-21's sharp silhouette and supersonic roar will live on in the memories of those who flew it, those who maintained it, and those who watched it streak across the sky as a symbol of India's strength, asserts IAF veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
The Indian Embassy in Beijing has warned China's state-run tabloid Global Times to verify information before spreading it on social media. The embassy accused the publication of spreading disinformation about Indian military strikes on Pakistan's terror infrastructure. The embassy's statement comes after the Global Times published articles based on Pakistan Air Force claims about the strikes, which were later debunked by Indian authorities.
India on Thursday approved proposals for purchasing 26 Naval variant of Rafale jets from France and procuring three French-designed Scorpene class submarines, a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's wide-ranging talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy said the country wanted to know whether any aircraft were downed during the conflict, especially in the wake of the CDS' "admission".
The Congress party launched a scathing attack on the central government regarding the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, demanding accountability from Home Minister Amit Shah and clarification on the number of Indian jets downed during the operation.
India successfully intercepted or neutralized all Pakistani missiles and drones that targeted 15 Indian cities on Wednesday night, according to official sources. The attack, which was launched in response to India's Operation Sindoor, involved the deployment of Barak-8 missiles, S-400 Triumph air defense systems, Akash surface-to-air missiles, and indigenously developed anti-drone equipment. India retaliated with precision strikes on Pakistani territory, destroying an HQ-9 air defense unit in Lahore and damaging key radar infrastructure. The incident highlights the strength of India's air defense capabilities and its ability to project power with surgical precision.
The French minister also referred to India's planned induction of a second aircraft carrier and indicated that France will be interested in supplying the carrier-based jets.
T, which Pakistan claimed to have destroyed along with S-400 missile launchers. India had rubbished the claims and TV cameras following Modi corroborated that.
The Rafale maritime fighter aircraft on Monday demonstrated its operational capability at a naval facility in Goa as the Navy plans to acquire a fleet of combat jets for its indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) Vikrant, people familiar with the development said.
So far, 14 Rafale jets are operating in the IAF and the number will go up to 18 after the arrival of the new batch.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and S Ravindra Bhat considered lawyer ML Sharma's submission that a direction for issuing a letters rogatory to collect fresh evidence relating to the deal be issued.
The Indian Navy has received a replacement MQ-9B Sea Guardian drone from General Atomics after one of its leased drones crashed into the Bay of Bengal in September 2023. The new drone replaces the one lost in a "controlled ditching" due to a technical snag. The Indian Navy has also leased two MQ-9B drones from General Atomics in 2020, and India has signed a deal to procure 31 Predator drones from General Atomics for USD 4 billion. The supply of these drones will begin in January 2029. The Navy is also pushing for another indigenously-built aircraft carrier to replace INS Vikramaditya, which is expected to have a lifespan of another 10 years.
'As far as I'm concerned, how effective the Rafale was or frankly, how effective other systems were -- to me, the proof of the pudding is the destroyed and disabled airfields on the Pakistani side'
India on Wednesday dismissed claims on Pakistan social media about 'Operation Sindoor', saying the neighbouring country has unleashed a 'full-blown disinformation offensive' with 'lies' and digital theatrics to control the narrative.
When the technology gap between China and India will remain large, cost-effective hardware of the kind that proved their worth in Operation Sindoor should be our priority, points out R Jagannathan.
In a tweet, the IAF welcomed the "new bird" into its arsenal.
Following the arrival of the new batch, the number of Rafale jets with the IAF went up to 24.
With the arrival of the three jets, the size of the Rafale fleet has increased to 14.
In a move that signifies a major leap for India's aerospace manufacturing capabilities, the collaboration will establish a final assembly line for the Falcon 2000 jets in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
We need to equip the Indian Armed Forces, not 'commercial' as Trump wants, but 'operationally' looking at growing Chinese military capabilities, asserts Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
The Congress urged Modi to come forward and order a JPC probe into the Rafale deal.
Shivangi Singh is part of the IAF's Golden Arrows squadron based out of Ambala in Punjab.
'There's something called deterrence by punishment.' 'That means you hit in a manner calculated to raise costs and consequences for Pakistan, so that the next time it attempts a Pahalgam-like attack, it has to think ten times.'
The 101 Squadron is the second IAF squadron to be equipped with the Rafale fighter jets. In September last year, the Rafale aircraft were inducted into the 17 'Golden Arrows' Squadron.
'It was Parrikar's sharp insights into finance and international systems that stood out when India --at his suggestion -- decided to procure the Rafale combat jets from France.'
The Air Force Day is celebrated to mark the day the IAF was established in 1932. The force will celebrate its 88th anniversary this year with the annual parade at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad which includes air display of various aircraft.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has accused Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi's British wife of collecting intelligence documents on behalf of the Pakistani climate lobby. Sarma claims to have documentary evidence of Gogoi and his wife's ties with Pakistan and will reveal everything publicly by September 10. Gogoi has denied the allegations, calling them a "C-grade Bollywood movie" and stating that he has only visited Pakistan once 12 years ago. Sarma alleges that Gogoi's wife, Elizabeth Colburn, worked for the climate lobby and had a close relationship with Pakistan.
The Indian Navy has decided that the twin-seat Rafale will not be disqualified on the basis of its inability to operate from an aircraft carrier.
The marine version of the French-made Rafale fighter jet has been successfully flight-tested at a shore-based facility in Goa where conditions similar to that on the indigenously-developed aircraft carrier INS Vikrant were simulated, a top diplomat said.
The sources said the second Rafale squadron being raised at the next main operating base at Hasimara in mid-April this year. India is expected to get more Rafale jets from France in the next couple of months.
In the wake of the recent hostilities, both sides have moved from weapons to words, with India dispatching several delegations to visit more than 30 capitals across the world. A similar effort by Pakistan is set to start on Jun 2.
Top military officials from India and Pakistan highlighted their views at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, billed as Asia's premier defence forum, amid heightened tensions between the two sides following last month's military confrontation.
