The Indian Air Force bombed the largest Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan’s Balakot in the early hours of February 26. The attack on JeM terror camps was carried out by Mirage 2000 aircrafts. The Indian Air Force (IAF) used the fighter jets to bomb Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror pads in Pakistan’s Balakot because it is the best aircraft in the fleet with precision strike capability.
IAF Air Strike: Complete coverage
So here are things you need to know about the Mirage 2000 aircraft:
- The Mirage 2000 aircraft used in the air strike was chosen because of its ability to hit long-range targets with “pin-point” accuracy and drop a range of bombs and missiles including laser-guided ones.
- India inducted the Mirage jets some 30 years ago and the aircraft have been and are being upgraded at a cost of around Rs 20,000 crore. The multi-role, single engine jet is usually a single-pilot fighter with a range of about 1,500 km.
- The French-designed jet can travel at more than twice the speed of sound, or at Mach 2.2 (2,336 kmph). It is capable of flying at an altitude of 59000 ft (17km). A commercial jetliner usually flies at 35,000 to 40,000 feet.
- India has other more advanced fighter jets such as the Sukhoi Su30MKI, but the Russian made jet is slower in the air with a maximum speed of 2,120 kmph or Mach 2. It is also heavier, which makes it less nimble than the Mirage with its delta wings.
- The Mirage is also fitted with the state-of-the art Thales RDY 2 radar system and a fly-by-wire flight control system with a Sextant VE-130 HUD, or heads up display that allows the pilot to see all the flight, navigation, target and weapons information in a virtual display array.
- India currently has around three squadrons of Mirage 2000 fighter jets manufactured by HAL under licence from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, which also will sell Rafale fighters to India soon. The Mirage squadrons are based in Gwalior.
(Inputs from Agencies)
