IAF Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather, a Kashmir native, played a key role in Rafale delivery

Four years after an agreement between two countries, India's first batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft, that took off from France's Istres airbase on July 27, will land in India on July 29. These jets will significantly boost the combat capabilities of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

A person who played a significant role in the quick delivery of the jets to India is Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather who is presently India’s Air Attache to France. He has also weaponized the jets as per conditions suitable for India. The IAF officer was seen with India's ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf.

Ambassador @JawedAshraf5
visited the Rafale Assembly line, training facilities and interacted with officials from @Dassault_OnAir@gouvernementFR @MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy @DDNewslive @ANI @IAF_MCC @DefenceMinIndia @rajnathsingh pic.twitter.com/ccrEPIVwkY — India in France (@Indian_Embassy) July 27, 2020

According to sources, Air Commodore Rather hails from the Bakshiabad area of Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir and studied in Sanik School. He is a graduate from Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) and also from the Air War College in the USA, where he passed with academic distinction.

Few shots from 30,000 feet! Mid air refuelling of #RafaleJets on their way to #India@IAF_MCC @French_Gov @FranceinIndia @MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy @DDNewslive @ANI @DefenceMinIndia @Armee_de_lair @JawedAshraf5 pic.twitter.com/VE7lJUcZe7 — India in France (@Indian_Embassy) July 28, 2020

The IAF officer received Vayu Sena Medal, given for devotion to duty, when he was a Wing Commander in 2010 and Vishisht Seva Medal when he was a Group Captain in 2016. He has also won the Sword of Honour in NDA. He was commissioned on December 17, 1988, in the IAF fighter stream.

He has completed more than 3,000 hours of accident-free flying on MiG 21s, Mirage-2000, and Kiran aircraft. The IAF officer is a Fighter Combat Leader and a qualified Flying Instructor.

Air Commodore Rather has served as a Directing Staff at DSSC as well. He has commanded a Mirage-2000 Squadron and also a front-line Air Force Base. 

The five Rafale jets are the first batch of the 36 supersonic omnirole combat aircraft that India is buying from France. Till now, 12 IAF fighter pilots have completed their training on the Rafale fighter jets in France and a few more are in the advanced phase of their training. According to the contract between India and France, the two countries a total of 36 IAF pilots are to be trained on the Rafale combat jets by French aviators. While most of the IAF pilots will be trained in France, some of them will undergo the exercise in India.

Rafale is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and SCALP air-to-ground cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

The IAF will further boost the capabilities of the combat aircraft by equipping it with the HAMMER missiles from France. The order for the HAMMER standoff missiles is being processed under the emergency powers for acquisition given to the armed forces by the Centre. HAMMER missiles have the capability to take out any types of targets at the range of around 60-70 kms.

The trainer Rafale aircraft will have the tail numbers of the RB series in honour of the IAF Chief RKS Bhadauria who played a significant role in finalising Rafale deal. India had inked a Rs 60,000 crore deal with France in September 2016 for 36 Rafales to bolster the capabilities of IAF.