The Rafale jets will fly directly from Istres in France to Jamnagar and they will be accompanied by French Air Force mid-air refuelling aircraft
Photo for representational purpose
The Indian Air Force will receive three Rafale combat aircraft on November 4 from the manufacturer French company Dassault Aviation, sources said on Monday. The three Rafale jets will arrive in India flying non-stop from France.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Rafale jets will fly directly from Istres in France to Jamnagar and they will be accompanied by French Air Force mid-air refuelling aircraft.
A team of experts led by Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Projects) is coordinating the logistical issues for receiving the three combat jets. The air force pilots are being trained in batches in France at Saint-Dizier air base.
With the three coming on November 4, the IAF will have eight Rafale jets in service.
India received the first batch of five Rafale aircraft on July 29 which were inducted on September 10 at Ambala Air Base in the 17 'Golden Arrows' Squadron.
India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of these aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore.
After the induction of the aircraft, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the Rafale deal is a game changer. "I am confident our air force has acquired a technological edge with Rafale," the minister had pointed out.
The Rafale is a 4.5 generation aircraft and has the latest weapons, superior sensors and fully integrated architecture.
It is an omni-role aircraft which means it can carry out at least four missions in one sortie.
The fighter aircraft has HAMMER missiles. It will also be armed with beyond visual range missiles like Meteor, SCALP and MICA, increasing their ability to take on incoming targets from a distance.
Keep scrolling to read more news
Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
