Ladakh LG RK Mathur extends gratitude to Air Chief Marshal for IAF's COVID-19 aid

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur on May 28 extended his gratitude towards Air Chief Marshal RK Singh Bhadauria at Raj Niwas (official residential complex for the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh in Leh) for Indian Air Force services to Ladakh during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Apparently, the Indian Airforce airlifted over 680 tonnes of perishables and over 52 tonnes of infrastructural machinery to smoothen the construction of COVID-19 facilities and medical supplies. Lieutenant Governor's office took to Twitter to establish their rendezvous and affirming a common notion that IAF plays an active part during trying times of India.

He said, "IAF plays a pivotal role, especially in medical evacuations from Leh&Kargil to other parts of the country to avail urgent treatments while also assisting evacuations within Ladakh.

Ladakh's Lieutenant Governor even appreciated IAF's support for the evacuation of pilgrims and the locals at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Further, he thanked Air Chief Marshal RK Singh Bhadauria for efforts by IAF for facilitating parking, refuelling and operation of Pawan Hans helicopters at Air Force Station in Leh. 

It is rightly believed by each household in the country that Indian Defence Forces have been ever ready to step up and come to the rescue during any crisis across India. 

3 More Rafale Fighter Jets Takeoff From France For IAF Airbase In Ambala

Meanwhile, three more Rafale fighter jets landed in India's Ambala airbase on Thursday taking the total number of the Rafale fighter jets in Indian Air Force (IAF) to 23. According to reports, four fighter jets were scheduled to take off on May 20 from France's Merignac-Bordeaux airbase. However, it could not happen owing to the unavailability of mid-air refuellers in the UAE. In addition, the take-off was also delayed due to maintenance issues of the mid-air refuellers. In addition, the delay was also caused due to the long weekend in France. 

Discontinue MiG-21

On the other hand, Citing safety concerns, a lawyer on Thursday has urged PM Modi to discontinue the MIG-21 aircraft from the Indian Air Force. This request came six days after an IAF fighter pilot was killed in MiG-21 aircraft that crashed. Advocate Satyam Singh mentioned the accident of Squadron Leader Abhinav Choudhary in his letter-- where he was killed when a MiG-21 Bison fighter jet he was flying crashed in Punjab's Moga district on May 21.

Advocate Singh also sent a copy of his letter to the Secretary, Defence Ministry and the Air Chief Marshal, Indian Air Force. He said the recent incident has once again raised questions on the safety of the Soviet-era aircraft.