Indian Air Force gets two Mirage 2000 fighter jets from France, the defense will be strengthened amidst tense times

Posted on 25th Nov 2021 by rohit kumar

Amid tensions along the border, the Indian Air Force has got a boost in its fighter jet fleet. The Air Force has received two second-hand Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft from France, which have been delivered to the Gwalior airbase. Center sources told ANI, "The Indian Air Force has received two Mirage 2000 trainer version aircraft from France. Both the aircraft were flying with their Air Force and reached Gwalior airbase recently.

 

Sources said that the aircraft will now be upgraded to the latest standards under the ongoing Mirage Upgrade Program at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The two aircraft have been acquired by the Indian Air Force as part of a program to make the Mirage fighter fleet about 50 aircraft.

 

The IAF has acquired around 51 Mirages in different batches and formed three squadrons all based at Gwalior Air Force Station. Sources said that the Mirage upgrade deal between the French and Indian sides was to increase the capacity of 51 aircraft and some of these kits have survived the crash of these aircraft.

 

Sources said the same kit could be installed on these two French Air Force planes and made them suitable for combat missions. Sources said that the Indian Air Force has very smartly invested in finding parts for Mirage in the form of old French aircraft and this will help the Air Force to retain them till 2035.

 

The Miraj has been in service since the 1980s and has been a main weapon from the Kargil War to the 2019 Balakot airstrike, where it bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist camp in Pakistan. Miraj had also successfully destroyed Pakistani Army camps and bunkers at Tiger Hilltop in the Kargil War and changed the face of the war by successfully hitting enemy camps at such a height using laser-guided bombs.

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