Rafale a game changer

New Delhi: With the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) concentrated and on the offensive on a barren Tibetan Plateau, the Indian Air Force with Rafale fighter as its spearhead weapon will decide the outcome of the battle in case the red flag goes up, says former Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa even as 5 Rafale fighters landed at Ambala airbase on Wednesday.

Dhanoa, the chief architect of February 26, 2019 air strikes on Balakot, said Rafale with its top of the line electronic warfare suite, meteor beyond visual range missile and SCALP air to ground weapon with its terrain following capability outguns any threat that the Chinese Air Force produces.

Painting a wartime scenario, former Air Chief said: "If the IAF is successful in destruction of enemy air defences and suppression of enemy air defences, then the Chinese fighters out in the open at Hotan airbase and at Gonggar airbase at Lhasa airport are fair targets. Some 70 Chinese aircraft are without protection at Hotan and some 26 aircraft may be parked inside a tunnel which the PLA were building at Lhasa air base."