Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Releasing a video of advanced fighter jets armed with deadly missiles on Republic Day, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday moved to silence some Pakistani and western critics, who had alleged that India did not have the beyond-visual-range Meteor missile in its arsenal it had claimed to have used during the strikes deep inside Pakistan in 2019 (Balakot) and during Operation Sindoor last year.In the video posted on X on Monday, the IAF showed the fully-loaded hardpoints of fighter jets French-acquired Rafale, Sukhois and indigenously-manufactured Tejas with advanced missiles like Meteor and BrahMos missiles that were used against Pakistan as part of Op Sindoor. The video has put months of suspense to rest.Meteor is the next-generation beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) system designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat in the 21st century. It offers a multi-shot capability (multiple launches against multiple targets), and has the ability to engage highly maneuverable targets such as fighter jets, and small targets such as UAVs and cruise missiles in a heavy electronic countermeasures (ECM) environment with a range in excess of 200 km. A solid-fueled ramjet motor allows the missile to cruise at a speed of over Mach 4 and provides the missile with thrust and mid-course acceleration. It also provides the largest ‘no escape zone’ of any air-to-air missile system, several times greater than current medium-range air-to-air missiles (MRAAMs). The fragmentation warhead ensures maximum lethality.In Sept 2016, India and France had signed the 7.87 billion euro deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets, equipped with the latest missiles and weapon system besides multiple India-specific modifications. The fighter jets then came equipped with Meteor and Scalp missiles as part of the deal.However, sceptics doubted whether India received the Meteor missiles with the Rafale jet package. But the IAF video on Friday put to rest all those speculation about whether India had the missile.In another footage a Tejas fighter jet (LCA) is seen firing the Meteor. A fully-loaded Mirage 2000 had the same model of missiles used by the IAF in the 2019 Balakot surgical strike.In the video, IAF also showed the Rampage air-to-surface missile, known for its precision strike. The IAF’s Sukhoi-30MKIs carried the Rampage during Op Sindoor.
