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Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor connected Wednesday (February 11, 2026) described the Rafale combatant pitchy arsenic the “hero” of Operation Sindoor and said the Indian Air Force (IAF) is looking to induct much specified Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA), with Rafale planes among the contenders.
“Rafale was decidedly the leader during Operation Sindoor among different heroes. The Indian Air Force is looking guardant to inducting much MRFA, which is going to beryllium Rafale oregon immoderate different craft nether deliberations. A factual determination has yet to beryllium taken. We are looking for newer procreation aerial crafts [to add] into our inventory,” helium said.
On reports regarding alleged strikes connected Pakistan’s Kirana Hills during the operation, Air Marshal Kapoor said the IAF had targeted panic infrastructure and respective subject installations. “Whether we did thing determination oregon whether the detonation was caused by thing else, we don’t know. These videos were presented by their people; we did thing beyond striking panic and subject installations,” helium said.
Exercise to showcase IAF firepower
He was briefing journalists astir Vayu Shakti, an upcoming IAF workout to beryllium held astatine the Pokharan air-to-ground scope adjacent the India-Pakistan borderline successful Rajasthan connected February 27. The biennial firepower objection volition item the occurrence of Operation Sindoor and the IAF’s capableness to rapidly punish the force and predominate the operational environment.
More than 120 aerial assets, including 77 combatant jets, volition participate. The lineup includes Rafale, Su-30MKI, Mirage-2000, MiG-29, Jaguar, and LCA Tejas aircraft. Helicopters volition besides instrumentality part, including Apache, Chinook, LCH Prachand, and ALH choppers, on with transport craft specified arsenic the C-130J, C-17, and the C-295, which volition marque its debut astatine the event.
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Wing Commander Ajit B. Wasane said that 277 weapons would beryllium deployed during the exercise, which volition past 2 hours and 35 minutes. Around 12,000 kg of explosives volition beryllium detonated crossed 43 events involving 23 targets. Surface-to-air systems specified arsenic Akash and SpyDer, Short Range Loitering Munitions, and Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems volition besides beryllium showcased. The drill volition diagnostic integrated operations with the Army, including the deployment of M-777 howitzers, L-70 guns, and Special Forces.
Conducted nether the South Western Air Command, the workout assumes added value arsenic it follows past year’s astir 88-hour subject confrontation betwixt India and Pakistan nether Operation Sindoor.
