NEW DELHI: A recent batch of three more Rafale fighter jets made by French defence producer – Dassault Aviation – will arrive in India on Wednesday, after mid-air refuelling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The three upcoming Rafale fighters will be a part of the IAF’s Golden Arrows Squadron in Ambala, and take the squadron energy to 14. Confirming the event, Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to India, had stated on Tuesday stated that 5 further Rafale jets can be ferried to India by the top of April.
“This would be other than three Rafale which is arriving on Wednesday,” he added. Calling it a “matter of great pride”, he said, “we’ve been able to deliver on schedule and even ahead of schedule in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Right now, 21 Rafales delivered to India, 11 already ferried to India, three are right now being ferried and 5 extra will be ferried by end of April,” French Envoy to India stated.
The French envoy added, “Total in 2022, the 36 aircraft will have been delivered as per contract.” The plane had began becoming a member of the Air Force fleet in the July-August timeframe final yr and have been shortly operationalised by the Air Force in the shortest attainable time.
India had ordered 36 Rafale plane from France in September 2016 and more than 50 per cent of those would have arrived in India by April-end 2021. The first batch of 5 Rafales arrived in India on July 28 and was formally inducted in September at Ambala Air Base in Haryana on September 10 by the central authorities.
The second batch of three Rafale jets arrived on November 3, adopted by the third batch of three more jets that joined the IAF on January 27. These plane had additionally been deployed for patrolling alongside the China entrance in jap Ladakh and different fronts throughout the top of the confrontation with the Chinese troops.
The planes outfitted with the Hammer missiles have enhanced the IAF’s functionality to perform air-to-ground strikes just like the one in Balakot.
