Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar flew the Mirage-2000 in combat during the Kargil war.
A top Indian Air Force official on Monday defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent assertion that a rainy day was a better pick for Balakot strikes as the clouds could help fighter jets evade detection by Pakistani radars during the operation, by saying "very strong clouds and very strong convective conditions in clouds prevent the radar from detecting very accurately".
"That is true up to some effect that very strong clouds and very strong convective conditions in clouds prevent the radar from detecting very accurately", said Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command, Raghunath Nambiar told news agency ANI.
The officer remarks came a day after Army Chief General Bipin Rawat defended Prime Minister's comments on Balakot operation.
"There are various kinds of radars working with different technologies. Some have the capacity to see through, some don't have the capacity to see through. Some kinds of radar cannot see through clouds because of the manner in which it is operating. Sometimes we can, sometimes we can''t," General Rawat had reportedly said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interview to a news channel, had shared details on the decision-making before the Balakot airstrikes. "The weather suddenly turned bad, there were clouds... heavy rain. There was a doubt about whether we can go in the clouds. During a review (of the Balakot plan), by and large, the opinion of experts was - what if we change the date. I had two issues in mind. One was secrecy, second, I said I am not someone who knows the science. I said there is so much cloud and rain. There is a benefit. I have raw wisdom, the clouds can benefit us too. We can escape the radar. Everyone was confused. Ultimately I said there are clouds... let''s proceed," the Prime Minister had stated in an interview during election campaigning.
Twelve Mirage 2000s had crossed over to Pakistan on February and attacked a JeM terrorist training camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to avenge the deadly Pulwama attack in which 44 CRPF personnel were killed.
A squadron of MiG-21 aircraft led by Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Monday flew in the Missing Man formation to pay tribute to Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja who was killed in action in Operation Safed Sadar during the Kargil war. Air Marshal R Nambiar also took part in the exercise being held in the honour of the Kargil War martyr at the Indian Air Force base in Bhisiana.