New Delhi: A dozen Mirage 2000 deep-penetration fighter jets carried out the pre-dawn strike. The multi-role aircraft was chosen because of its reputation to hit targets with “pin-point” accuracy and excellent mileage. The single-engine fighter jet is also capable of dropping a range of explosives and missiles, including laser-guided bombs. Incidentally, the multirole aircraft was made by French warplane maker Dassault, which will now deliver the Rafale.
The aircraft was successfully deployed in the Kargil war and used for dropping laser-guided bombs on peaks occupied by Pakistani intruders.
For the record, it was Rajiv Gandhi who decided to buy 49 Mirage 2000 aircraft in 1984, after Pakistan purchased F-16s from the US. In 2004, the IAF bought ten more Mirage 2000s raising a third squadron of the aircraft, all of which are based in its air force base at Gwalior.
The Mirage 2000 was replaced by the Rafale in the French air force. India will, however, continue flying both the Mirage and the Rafale. Sources said a number of other assets and platforms of the IAF were also used in the operation, for the first time inside Pakistan after the 1971 war.
The Mirage 2000s are fitted with Thales RDY 2 radar, which can strike at targets with 100 per cent accuracy, said an IAF official on condition of anonymity. The aircraft was preferred as it is capable of long-range engagement of targets. It is not clear whether the fleet of Mirage 2000s flew directly from Gwalior or they took off from other bases to carry out the strike.