Tejas Capabilities Increased Further With Bunker Buster Hammer Missiles
The Indian fighter has already dazzled the crowd at this year’s Air Show. Many Air Forces are now of the firm belief that Tejas is far more capable than the Pakistani and Chinese joint venture JF-17 fighter jet. Now with additions like the HAMMER, the Indian fighter would be in a much higher category than most if the Chinese fighters.
The HAMMER ((Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) missiles would give the Tejas fighters of the IAF the capability to take out all kinds of bunkers or hardened shelters in any type of terrain including mountainous locations such as Gilgit, Baltistan, Eastern Ladakh, Arunachal and Tibet. Due to the urgency at that time in view of the Chinese aggression, the French authorities had agreed to supply them at a short notice for our Rafale combat aircraft.
Therefore for further strengthening the capabilities of the indigenous TEJAS fighter aircraft, the Indian Air Force has placed orders for HAMMER missiles from France which would allow it to take out any hardened bunkers or ground targets at stand-off ranges of more than 70 kilometres.
The capability enhancement of the TEJAS fighter aircraft is being done to be fully prepared for a two front war with China and Pakistan. India is already in middle of a military stand-off with China.
The HAMMER missiles are in the process of being integrated with the TEJAS and it will significantly enhance its capability to take out hardened targets from stand-off distances,” confirmed sources in the government. The Indian Air Force had acquired the first lot of these HAMMERs for the Rafale fighters at the time when the aircraft had started coming to the IAF from France for further enhancing the air to ground targeting capabilities of its most advanced plane.
Both the Government and the Indian Air Force are strongly supporting the indigenous TEJAS fighter aircraft program by adding more and more capabilities of the aircraft. Two squadrons of Tejas have already been operationalized in the initial operational clearance and final operational clearance versions while HAL has signed a contract with MoD for supply of 83 MK-1As set to be delivered by 2027.
Soon IAF should also be getting Tejas MK2 and the AMCA. Hopefully the country should be focusing in increasing production of fighters including export. Aim should be to revolutionize things in such a way that IAF has 15 squadrons of Tejas by 2030/ 2032 along with at least 1 squadron of AMCA.
Indian armed forces are extensively utilising the emergency procurement powers granted to them in different phases by the government to equip themselves with necessary weaponry to handle any conflict or aggression by enemies on both sides.
