Ambala, Hasimara air bases being readied for Rafale jets

Ambala, Hasimara air bases being readied for Rafale jets

Ambala, October 1 : The Indian Air Force has initiated major infrastructure upgrade at its frontline base here for deployment of the first squadron of Rafale jets which will give India greater “potency” over Pakistan as these will be capable of carrying nuclear weapons and other missiles.
The government has already sanctioned Rs 220 crore to set up 14 shelters, hangers and maintenance facilities at the 78-year-old base for the Rafale jets whose delivery is scheduled to begin from September, 2019, a senior IAF official said.
“We are creating infrastructure keeping in mind infrastructure requirement for the Rafale jets for next 40-50 years,” the official said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to media.
The Ambala base is considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF as the Indo-Pak border is around 220 km from it. Currently, the base has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MiG-21 Bison.
Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh, who passed away two weeks ago, was the first commander of the Ambala base in independent India.Several teams from French defence major Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale, have already visited the Ambala air force base and finalised the requirement for the first squadron of combat jets.

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