Addressing a press conference ahead of Air Force Day on October 8, the Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Monday said that the air force is deployed ‘strongly’ to deal with any contingency, referring to the India-China border row in Ladakh, news agency PTI reported.

He said that the IAF is prepared for any conflict, including a two front war. “Our position as a credible combat-ready force is vital, given the role Air Force will play towards ensuring victory in any future conflict: IAF chief,” Bhadauria was quoted by ANI, as saying.

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Talking about the complex matrix of threat facing India, he said, “The emerging threat scenario in our neighbourhood and beyond mandates need to have a robust capability to fight across the entire spectrum of warfare…I can share with you with confidence that operationally, we are amongst the best.”

He also credited the induction of the Rafale jets to giving the IAF an operational edge. “Integration of Rafales brings in a platform which is way ahead and would give us an edge and capability to strike first and deep,” the IAF Chief said.

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Bhadauria added that Rafale will have a full operational squadron in the next three years. “We’ve operationalised Rafales, Chinooks, Apache and integrated them with our concept of operations in record time. In next three years we’ll see Rafale and LCA Mark 1 squadrons operating with full strength, along with additional MiG-29 being ordered in addition to current fleets,” Bhadauria was quoted as saying by ANI.