Group Captain Harkirat Singh is about to be succeeded by Group Captain Rohit Kataria because the commanding officer of the squadron, often known as 17 Golden Arrows.
The sources stated Group Captain Harkirat Singh is prone to oversee the elevating of the second Rafale squadron in his new posting on the Eastern Air Command.
The Indian Air Force is about to boost the second squadron of the Rafale fight jets in mid-April and it will likely be primarily based in Hasimara air base in West Bengal, the sources stated.
When contacted, an IAF official described Group Captain Singh’s switch as a routine one although it got here somewhat over six months after the Rafale jets have been inducted into the squadron.
The first batch of 5 Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29 final, practically 4 years after India signed an inter-governmental settlement with France to acquire 36 of the plane at a value of Rs 59,000 crore.
The formal induction ceremony of the fleet had taken place in Ambala on September 10 final.
A second batch of three Rafale jets arrived in India on November 3 whereas a 3rd batch of one other three jets joined the IAF on January 27.
The sources stated the second Rafale squadron is being raised on the subsequent essential working base (MOB) in Hasimara in mid-April this yr. India is predicted to get extra Rafale jets from France within the subsequent couple of months.
A squadron includes round 18 plane.
The Rafale jets are India’s first main acquisition of fighter planes in 23 years after the Sukhoi jets have been imported from Russia.
The Rafale jets are succesful of carrying a spread of potent weapons. European missile-maker MBDA’s Meteor past visible vary air-to-air missile, Scalp cruise missile and MICA weapons system would be the mainstay of the weapons bundle of the Rafale jets.
The IAF can be procuring a brand new technology medium-range modular air-to-ground weapon system Hammer to combine with the Rafale jets.
Hammer (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) is a precision-guided missile developed by French defence main Safran.
The missile was initially designed and manufactured for the French Air Force and Navy.
Meteor is the subsequent technology of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air fight. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to fight frequent threats dealing with the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden.
