WATCH: Rafale Jets In IAF Are A Shot In The Arm: What Next?
The Quint’s Opinions Editor Nishtha Gautam discusses Rafale and more with Air Force & diplomacy experts.
The Indian Air Force will be inducting its first batch of Dassault Rafale fighter planes. As these fighter jets, five of which landed at the Ambala base on 29 July, await induction into the service of the Indian Air Force, India's strategic capability gets a shot in the arm.
The timing couldn't have been more crucial — what with the 'dragon' needling us.
"Although five Rafales are too few a number in the immediate term, their induction should bring about a shift from a defensive and reactive posture to one of active deterrent posture," says Air Marshal M Matheswaran AVSM VM PhD (Retd).
Talking of China, where does the Rafale stand with its equivalent in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force? Since Rafale is the most technologically advanced aircraft of the IAF, it is only fair to compare it with Chengdu J-20, China's most advanced fighter aircraft.
What does the induction of Rafale jets mean for the simmering tensions between India and China? How important is France's emergence as India's strategic partner in the changing geopolitical scenario? The Quint's Opinion Editor Nishtha Gautam discusses this and more with Ambassador Vishnu Prakash and Air Marshal M Matheswaran (retd).
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