*New Delhi – **In a direct threat to Pakistan, Indian Air Force seekIsraeli support to counter PAF F – 16 Fighter Jets threat.*
IAF is in the process of integrating the Israeli I-Derby Extended Rangemissile on its frontline fighter aircraft, the Su 30 MKI to counterPakistani Air Force F – 16 AMRAAM missiles.
These missiles along with the already inducted MICA medium range BVR, andthe long-range Meteor missiles will form the backbone of India’s air-to-airstrike capability.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has initiated the process to acquire and inductthe first batch of the indigenous all-weather Beyond Visual Range (BVR)missile – Astra – as it aims to recapture its edge over its Pakistanicounterpart in air-to-air capability.
“We have initiated the process to acquire the first batch of the Astramissiles. Since it is indigenous, we will be procuring them in batches,” anIAF officer told ThePrint.
During the aerial duel between India and Pakistan on 27 February last year,the IAF had felt the chinkslinkinits air-to-air armour with the Pakistanis having had the edge in thissphere.
Pakistan’s F16s were armed with the AIM-120 C-5 AMRAAM (AdvancedMedium-Range Air-to-Air Missile), which has a higher capability than thatof the medium range R-77 used by the Su 30 MKI and the MICA used by theMirages.
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The IAF had the edge over its Pakistani counterpart during the Kargilbattle in 1999 but lost it in 2010 when the American AMRAAM was deployed bythe latter.
IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhaduria, had on 28 February this year saidlinkthatthe force is looking at regaining the upper hand in air-to-air missilecapabilities that was “allowed to slip” amid a “struggle” to acquiremissiles in a process that has lasted 15 years.
The IAF chief was referring to the European-manufactured Meteor missilesthat have a range of about 150 km. With the missile, an IAF pilot will beable to take out enemy aircraft at a distance of 150 km without evencrossing the Indian airspace.
The Meteors have been ordered along with the Rafale fighters. While thefirst four Rafale fighters will land in India by May, it will take anotheryear or so for them to be fully operationalised.
While the initial plan was to try and integrate the Meteor missiles on theMirage 2000, the Su 30 MKI and the Tejas Mark II, the European manufacturerof the missile – MBDA – told the IAF that the French-made Mirage 2000 andthe Russian Su 30 MKI are not suitable for the long range missile.
