Raising of second RAFALE SQUADRON to commence in April
The commanding officer (CO) of the first Rafale fighter squadron in the IAF has suddenly been transferred to the headquarters of the Eastern Air Command (EAC) at Shillong.
Group Captain Harkirat Singh will be replaced by Group Captain Rohit Kataria as the CO of the 17 ‘Golden Arrows’ Squadron at the Ambala airbase, as per the order issued by IAF on Wednesday.
Though this may look as highly unusual to the civilians and to the media as the squadron Commanding Officer has been transferred out within just six-seven months of the arrival of new jets being inducted in the IAF. Till now the 17 Squadron has only received just 11 of its full complement of 18 Rafales till now.
How ever the IAF headquarters has declared that the second Rafale squadron would be raised at the Hasimara airbase (West Bengal) in the EAC in mid-April. The IAF hax maintained that Group Captain Singh’s posting to the EAC was “part of a regular changeover” in the force, emphasizing the officer’s “expertise with the Rafale induction at Ambala is planned to be utilized for a similar induction” in the EAC.
The 101 `Falcons’ Squadron at Hasimara airbase is slated to get the second lot of 18 Rafales under the Rs 59,000 crore deal inked with France for 36 of the omni-role jets in September 2016. Group Captain Singh,, was conferred the nation’s sixth-highest gallantry medal, the Shaurya Chakra, for displaying exceptional courage in landing a MiG-21 ‘Bison’ despite the critical emergency of “an engine flameout” during a practice interception sortie in September 2008.
Group Captain Singh was involved with the Rafale as he had led the Rafale induction team of pilots, flight engineers and technicians in France. Group Captains Singh and Kataria were also among the pilots who had flown the first five Rafales to Ambala in July last year. The Rafales were formally inducted into the IAF at a ceremony in Ambala the following September. Since then, 11 of the 36 Rafales have arrived in India, with another lot slated to touch down next month. All the 36 will be delivered by April 2022.
So by now the first first flight of the first Rafale squadron has formed up completely and the second flight is forming up. This will be now done under the supervisionof the new CO. Group Captain Harkurat Singh will be now will be helping the HQ Eastern Aur Command to raise the second squadron.
The 4.5-generation Rafales, which have a combat range of 780-km to 1,650-km depending on the nature of the mission without mid-air refuelling, have added a much-needed offensive punch to the IAF. The Rafales, which can also deliver nuclear bombs, are armed with long stand-off weapons like the over 300-km range ‘Scalp’ air-to-ground cruise missiles. They are also being equipped with the top-notch Meteor air-to-air missiles, which with a strike range of 120 to 150-km can outgun any missile that can currently be unleashed by Pakistani or Chinese jets. IAF has also ordered the “Hammer” air-to-ground precision-guided munitions for the Rafales, in a deal that came last year amidst the ongoing military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh.
