In an effort to maintain operational readiness and increase the life of its Mirage jets, the IAF has signed an agreement with France to buy phased out Mirages flown by its air force. The deal is worth over Rs 230 crores and the airframes of these planes will be brought to India in containers.
At present, India has a fleet of 50 Mirage planes procured in 1985. These versatile planes were used in the Balakot air strikes against terrorist hide outs in 2019.
All these planes are now in mid-life upgrade and the acquisition of the phased Mirages will ensure seamless availability of spares, sources said here on Saturday. Moreover, this procurement will make sure maintenance cycle of these jets is adhered to thereby prolonging their operational life.
Incidentally, the IAF had inked a similar pact some years too and bought phased out Mirages from France. The Mirage fleet is based in Gwalior.
France is in the process of switching over to Rafale jets and has phased most of its Mirages.
The 36-jet deal with India for Rafales will be completed next year with the last batch of two planes arriving here. The IAF has placed these jets in two bases including Ambala in north and Hashimara in West Bengal in the east.