India’s Military Bases on High Alert; Rafale Jets Fully Prepared for Combat Operations

India’s Military Bases on High Alert; Rafale Jets Fully Prepared for Combat Operations

New Delhi, May 5: The Indian Air Force is on the highest alert along the Pakistan border, according to a report by the Times of India, citing sources at the Air Force Headquarters.

Combat aircraft crews stationed at forward bases in Rajasthan and Punjab are fully equipped and ready for immediate military operations. The French-made Rafale multi-role jets—capable of carrying SCALP air-to-ground cruise missiles with a range of over 300 kilometers—may be deployed in any forthcoming mission.

The alert level at Indian air bases was raised following unexpected gunfire from Pakistani forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on the night of May 5. The report states that firing occurred across eight sectors.

This comes after a deadly terrorist attack on April 22 in the popular tourist town of Pahalgam in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which left 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali national dead, with several others critically injured. According to media reports, Indian intelligence agencies claim that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was behind the attack, which was allegedly carried out by the banned group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

In response to rising tensions, New Delhi and Islamabad have imposed reciprocal restrictions on diplomatic staff, suspended bilateral agreements, and closed their airspace to each other’s aircraft. Both sides have reported exchanges of fire and retaliatory strikes along the LoC.