Five combat aircraft an ‘answer to any threat,’ says defense minister NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday received its first consignment of the controversial, multibillion-dollar French Rafale fighter jets amid growing tensions with China over the disputed Himalayan territory of Ladakh. The five jets, piloted by Indian Air Force (IAF) officers, landed at the Ambala air base in the Indian state of Haryana after completing the 7,000 km journey. “This aircraft’s weapons, radar and electronic warfare capabilities are among the best in the world. Its arrival in India will make the IAF much stronger to deal with any threat facing our country,” Defense Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted on Wednesday. India’s first major fighter acquisition in more than two decades comes at a time when border tensions between New Delhi and Beijing are at an all-time high, with Singh saying the Rafale was an “answer to anyone threatening India’s territorial integrity.” “If anyone should be worried about or critical of this new capability, it should be those who want to threaten our territorial integrity,” he said. Defense experts described the arrival of the French jets as a “game-changer” for the country. “It is like a wrestler entering the ring and challenging the adversary to come and join the fight,” former air marshal Kapil Kak told Arab News. “This is the best combat aircraft. It has a highly superior sensor, phenomenal warfare capability and air dominance capability. The selection process took nearly 10 years.” The acquisition of the aircraft follows a 2016 deal between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French company Dassault Aviation for the purchase of 36 fighter jets at a cost of $9.4 billion. However, the deal was mired in political controversy after the opposition Congress party alleged that it was a scam and much more expensive than an agreement for 126 aircraft negotiated by the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. The Supreme Court, in a controversial decision, refused to review the deal. Singh said on Wednesday that the claims were baseless. “The Rafale jets were purchased when they fully met the operational requirements of the IAF. The baseless allegations against this procurement have already been answered and settled, ” he said. The arrival of the fighter jets on Wednesday generated a media frenzy, with several outlets linking the new acquisition to New Delhi’s tensions with China. Indian and Chinese troops clashed for the first time in 45 years on June 15, in Ladakh’s Gulwan valley, resulting in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and a military build-up along the border. Five rounds of talks between the two sides have failed to yield any substantial results. “Undoubtedly, there has been a media frenzy about the arrival of the fighter jet. The nation is aware of the intrusion on the Ladakh frontier by the Chinese,” Kak said. Meanwhile, Pravin Sawhney, a defense expert and editor of a popular defense news magazine, Force, said that the media frenzy surrounding the arrival of the fighter jets highlights a “heightened nationalistic fervor.” However, he cautioned that “no single weapon system is a game-changer in war.” Sawhney said: “It will take at least 18 months for the Rafale squadron to prepare for high-altitude warfare. So it will not be available for the present Ladakh crisis. “The Chinese are not interested in fighting. If they were, they would fight on their strengths, which are ballistic and cruise missiles, and electronic warfare. Why will they fight on your supposed strengths in air combat?”