- IAF released video showing weapons used in 2019 Balakot strike and Operation Sindoor
- Meteor air-to-air missile featured on Rafale and LCA Tejas in released footage
- BrahMos cruise missile and Hammer bombs displayed on Sukhoi-30MKI and Rafale jets
The Indian Air Force (IAF) today silenced cynical naysayers, who alleged it did not use the weapons it claimed to have used during the strikes deep inside Pakistan in 2019 (Balakot) and during Operation Sindoor last year.
The IAF's subtle yet unmistakably loud message came as the country celebrated its 77th Republic Day.
While fighter jets have been a regular feature of the parade for decades, this year the IAF gave something different - for the first time it released a video showing fighter jets whose fully loaded hardpoints carried the same weapons that it used during the Balakot strike and Operation Sindoor.
What Types Of Weapons
The video has many firsts. One of them is footage that showed the Meteor long-range air-to-air missile carried by India's newest fighter jet, Rafale. Another is a clip of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas firing the Meteor. A fully loaded Mirage 2000 carried the same model of missiles used by the IAF in the 2019 Balakot strike.
The IAF's video has silenced Pakistan's lies on weaponry and tactics that India used in the Balakot strike and Operation Sindoor. Critics had spread disinformation that the IAF did not have the Meteor missile, despite the confirmation of a contract for the missile.
In another rare sight, the homegrown air-to-air missile Astra was seen fixed to hardpoints of a Sukhoi-30MKI. This marks a huge addition to the IAF's arsenal. It is uncommon to see this missile being carried by the Sukhoi-30MKI in an operational role.
The Astra missile was also seen being carried by the older attack aircraft, Jaguar, proving that this deep-strike platform has been upgraded substantially.
Other rare footage includes a BrahMos cruise missile slung under the fuselage of a Sukhoi-30MKI, and the Hammer standoff bombs and Meteor carried by a Rafale.
Another important weapon system that the IAF showed in the video was the Rampage air-to-surface missile, known for its precision. The IAF's Sukhoi-30MKIs carried the Rampage during Operation Sindoor.
All in all, several of these are new-generation missiles carried by IAF fighter jets. The most significant part is that it is the IAF itself, which rarely shows live weapon platforms, that released the footage today - clearly sending a message to unbelievers.
