India to get Rafale fighter jets in 3-yr time: IAF chief

India will get the first tranche of Rafale fighter jets from France in the next three years, Indian Air Force chief Arup Raha said today.
"Rafale contract caters for delivery time between 36 months to about 66 months if I am not wrong. So within three years time we will have the first few aircraft delivered to us and within five and a half years we will have two full squadron of aircraft in operation," Raha said at a function here.
He said the fighter jets, capable of carrying nuclear weapons and equipped with latest missiles, will tremendously increase the force's capability.

When asked about the depleting strength of jets, he said besides Rafale, India is going to produce Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas in large numbers.
"The effort is on to increase production lines. The more the number of aircraft we produce, the faster we ramp up the capacity to close the gap created by obsolete and old aircraft," Raha said.
IAF has put on display one such obsolete MiG-27 fighter aircraft in front of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here. The installation was inaugurated by the Air Chief Marshal.

He also said the government is also thinking of procuring another fighter aircraft to fill up the gaps faster.

On the Indo-Russian fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), Raha said they are already working with Russia on research and development.
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When asked about India's military capabilities, Raha said, "India is a big country, a regional power in terms of its economy, population and overall capability, and so we shouldn't compare ourselves with others."
"India is in its own league. As far as armed forces are concerned, especially Indian Air Force, I think we are extensively capable. We are in a position to deter any adversary and our capacity is all the time being transformed to take on not only conventional but also non-conventional threats like terrorists attacks which is a new dimension to conflicts," he said.

The armed forces are gearing up all the time for this threat, Raha said.
"I think we are quite well off. I think the inductions are taking place, replacements are coming up fast. I am sure in another five years time, IAF will be extensively capable to take on the entire spectrum of threats," he said.
Before his retirement from service at the end of this month, Raha was on a farewell visit to the Eastern Air Command.
During the day he visited Sainik School, Purulia, where he had studied from 1965-70 before joining the National Defence Academy.
He presented a cheque of Rs one lakh to the school and later addressed the young cadets.