Page 322 - SSB Interview: The Complete Guide, Second Edition

fast and manoeuvrable aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat
with limited capability to strike ground targets. Multi-role aircraft on the

other hand are capable of conducting air-to-air combat and ground

attack with equal ease; sometimes within the same mission. This ability
to combine different operational tasks offers considerable cost-of-

ownership benefits to the operators.

119. The major aircraft with the Indian Air Force are as under:

a. Sukhoi Su-30MKI: The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is the IAF’s primary

air superiority fighter with the capability to conduct strike missions.
The IAF has a total of 233 Su-30MKIs of which 146 are in service

as of 2011.

b. Mikoyan MiG-29: The Mikoyan MiG-29, known as Baaz (Hindi

for hawk), is the IAF’s dedicated air superiority fighter and forms
the second line of defence for the IAF after the Sukhoi Su-30MKI.

The IAF operates 66 MiG-29s, all of which are currently being
upgraded to the MiG-29UPG standard.

c. Dassault Mirage 2000: The Dassault Mirage 2000, known as
Vajra (Sanskrit for Thunderbolt), is the IAF’s primary multirole

fighter. The IAF currently operates 51 Mirage 2000Hs, which are
currently being upgraded to the Mirage 2000-5 standard.

d. MiG-21: The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 serves as an Interceptor

aircraft in the IAF. The MiG-21s are planned to be replaced by the

indigenously-built HAL Tejas.

Strike, Attack and Close Support Aircraft

120. These are military aircraft designed to attack targets on the ground. They
are often deployed as close air support for, and in proximity to, their

own ground forces, requiring precision strikes from these aircraft.

a. SEPECAT Jaguar: The SEPECAT Jaguar known as Shamsher

and the Mikoyan MiG-27 known as Bahadur (Hindi for valiant)