In a huge show of their long-range battle capacities, four Rafale aircraft of the Indian Air Force did a "strategic" mission over the Indian Ocean region for north of six hours on Wednesday, said people familiar with the operation said.
They claimed that the mission, which involved a variety of maneuvers and simulated operations, was successfully completed by the jets after they took off from the Hasimara Air Force station in the eastern sector and returned to the base.
The mission was carried out by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a time when China was expanding its presence in the Indian Ocean, which is generally regarded as the Indian Navy's backyard.
According to the cited individuals, the mission flown by the four Rafale aircraft demonstrated their operational capabilities and preparedness for a variety of challenging circumstances.
The aforementioned individuals claimed that the operation was carried out very recently without specifying the date.
Additionally, the IAF tweeted about the mission.
"Four IAF Rafales flew a long range mission for over six hours into the IOR. The aircraft 'fought' their way through a large force engagement en route to their Weapon Release Point. Pickle on time, weapon on target-the IAF way!" it said.
The IAF also didn't reveal the day of the activity.
The Rafale jets are India's most memorable significant procurement of military aircraft in long term after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia. A wide variety of potent weapons can be carried aboard the Rafale jets.
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