IAF: Ready to fight across spectrum

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 16

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa today said the IAF is prepared to fight across the entire spectrum of warfare, be it an all out war, a skirmish like Kargil conflict or retaliation to a terrorist attack.

At a seminar to mark 20 years of Kargil conflict (May-July 1999), the Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief recalled the air action during which MiG-21 carried out air-to-ground bombing at night in the mountains for the first time. He spoke at length about the operational limitations in 1999 and the innovative ways adopted by the IAF to overcome the difficulties.

The developments which took place post Kargil war have transformed the IAF’s capability so as to counter any kind of air threat in conventional and sub-conventional warfare. Listing out the precision attack capabilities acquired by the force after the Kargil war, Dhanoa said, “We can do all-weather bombing even through the clouds very accurately. We have seen an attack carried out on February 26 (Balakot air strike). We are capable of carrying out a precision strike from standoff distances and very accurately.

Precision bombing capabilities which existed only on Mirage-2000 during the Kargil conflict are now also available on Sukhoi-30MKI, Jaguar, MiG-29 and MiG-27. Beyond visual range, missiles are carried by MiG-29, Su-30 and Mirage-2000. The IAF has the AWACS aircraft to monitor the airspace deep inside the enemy territory and operates on secure communication with network-centric warfare capabilities.

During the Kargil war, the IAF Chief commanding the 17 Squadron which was operating from Srinagar.