On Thursday, the Indian Air Force nailed out a deal of Rs 300-crore with Israel for about 100 Spice 2000 bombs, the weapon used for the duration of February 26 air strikes in Pakistan’s Balakot, as per to the two defence ministry officials said on the condition of anonymity.
Israeli defence firm known as Rafael Advanced Defence Systems manufacture all these weapon. This is the first military contract to be signed by the new government, said one of the officials mentioned above. The bombs are an emergency purchase as well as probable to be supplied by the end of the year, said the second official. He further added, “The bombs are a critical operational requirement.”
The air strikes was held against the JeM terror base just two weeks after 40 soldiers were killed in Pulwama terror attack in Kashmir region. India carried out air strikes on terror training camps across the Line of Control on Feb 26. At around 3:30 this early morning, 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets of the Indian Air Force dropped 1,000 kg bombs on terror camps of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.
On February 14, the worst-ever terror attack was held in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district against the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel where 40 CRPF jawans were killed. Terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for the attack.
The incident took place after a suicide bomber knock against an explosive loaded Maruti Eeco into a bus carrying CRPF personnel from Jammu to Srinagar. The NIA took the investigating regarding the attack.
At that time in an interview, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told reporters in a brief declaration “Credible information was received that JeM was attempting other attacks in the country. A pre-emptive strike became absolutely necessary. India struck the biggest camp of JeM in Balakot”.
The bombs hit their targets in a vertical attack angle, after which it leaves holes measuring 80 to 90 cm in diameter on the rooftops of the structures.
Pakistan, on the other hand has refused to admit the damage caused by the IAF’s unprecedented, peace-time, cross-border strike. Though, in a high-class interview to HT in March, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa declared that Indian fighter planes had struck their planned targets with accuracy.
Pakistan’s Major General Asif Ghafoor denied any damage by tweeting, “Indian aircrafts’ intrusion across LOC in Muzafarabad Sector within AJ&K was 3-4 miles. Under forced hasty withdrawal aircrafts released payload which had free fall in open area. No infrastructure got hit, no casualties. Technical details and other important information to follow.”
Pakistan Air Force fighters made an unsuccessful attempt to bomb at the Indian military installations on the very next day of air strike that is on February 27, leading to an aerial engagement along the LoC during which an Indian combat jet was shot down and its pilot captured and temporarily imprisoned by Pakistan.
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