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Oura
gans (Indian name Toofani). Picture Source: .jetphotos.com
Aviation – Bond Unfolds
In June 1953, India ordered 71 Ouragans (Indian name Toofani). Additional 33 second-hand
came in 1957 and the total became 104. Toofanis faced combat in 1961Goa operations. They were
also used in ground attack missions against rebels in Assam and Nagaland, and in 1962 for
reconnaissance missions in the Sino-Indian war. Ouragans were replaced by another Dassault
aircraft, the Mystere IVA in 1957.Toofanis withdrew from active IAF service in 1965, although they
continued to be used for training and Target Towing for a few years. India procured 104
Mystere and used them extensively in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. On 7 September 1965 an
Indian Mystere shot down a Pakistani Lockheed F-104 Starfighter in a raid over Sargodha. The fleet
was phased out by 1973.
IAF’s Dassault Mystere IVA. Picture Source: abpic.co.uk. Picture Credit: Glyn Ramsden
Breguet Alize was a French carrier-based anti-submarine warfare aircraft. 12 were acquired by
Indian Navy and operated from aircraft carrier Vikrant. They took part in Goa operations and in the
1971 Indo-Pak war. Alizes operated till 1991. The Aerospatiale Alouette III a single-engine, French
light utility helicopter was manufactured under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
(HAL) as ‘Chetak’. Two more versions, lighter ‘Cheetah’ and re-engine ‘Cheetal’ were later
developed for high altitude operations including the Siachen glacier. These aircraft are still in service
in India’s all three Armed Services and Indian Coast Guard.
https://airpowerasia.com/2020/05/01/indian-military-aviations-french-connection/