Situation still live, says Air Chief
The situation along the India-Pakistan border is still “live”, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, said here on Tuesday, refusing to discuss the “surgical strikes” carried out by the Army on terror launch pads on September 29.
In his first public comments since the operation, the IAF chief said the Air Force had strategic reach to “deter any conflict” and it was up to the government to decide on deploying its assets.
“Things are still live, it would not be right for me to give any perspective on the issue,” Mr. Raha said at the annual press conference ahead of Air Force Day on October 8.
Observing that in the past conflicts, especially in 1962, there was a perception that using air power would lead to escalation, he noted: “Today, the IAF has the strategic reach and can deter any conflict. We are always ready to perform the task and we have the capability.”
To questions on the recently concluded Rafale deal, Mr. Raha said it was a truly exceptional aircraft and any Air Force would be proud to have aircraft of the Rafale class, which was in the mid-weight category. “We would like to have more. It is a decision which would be taken in the near future based on capability and the mix … ,” he said.
In the €7.87-billion deal concluded last month between India and France for 36 Rafale fighter jets, there was no optional clause contrary to normal practice. Defence sources said at the time that they did not intend to order additional aircraft.
Another fighter jet
The government had already stated that another fighter aircraft would be selected under the “Make in India” initiative to be manufactured in India with extensive technology transfer.
Mr. Raha said they had received “unsolicited” offers on F-16, F-18 and Gripen aircraft. “It is on the table, nothing is decided as yet,” he said.
Detailing on the idea of having another aircraft production line in India, Mr. Raha said that “it will not be license manufacture”. “It will be proper transfer of technology so that we have good share of the technology that is utilised in this aircraft and also India will become a hub for manufacturing as well as Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO).”
The MRO, he said, should become a hub for other aircraft in the region and also service “other Air Forces which operate the aircraft.”
Gripen the latest
To questions on SAAB Gripen, which he had flown during his visit to Sweden, he felt it was the latest in terms of generation and compared to F-16 and F-18, and added that the selection depended on the capability and what sort of transfer of technology was provided in addition to the price tag.
Source: The Hindu
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