New Delhi: India’s Rafale squadron added more muscle after the third batch of three fighter jets arrived in India on Wednesday night after flying non-stop from France, the Indian Air Force said.
The IAF tweeted, “The third batch of three Rafale aircraft landed at an IAF base a short while ago. They flew over 7000Km with in-flight refuelling. The aircraft got airborne earlier in the day from #IstresAirBase in France. IAF deeply appreciates the tanker support provided by UAE Air Force.”
The Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) of the United Arab Emirates provided mid-air refuelling to the three Rafale jets, according to the Indian Embassy in France. IAF has now inducted 11 of the 36 twin-engine Rafales, which are also capable of delivering nuclear weapons, under the Rs 59,000 crore deal inked with France in September 2016. All 36 will be delivered by end-202
The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, 2020, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. The second batch of three Rafale jets arrived in India on November 3.
The Rafale jets, manufactured by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, are India’s first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 years after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia. The new fleet of Rafale jets has been carrying out sorties in eastern Ladakh. The IAF fighters are armed with long stand-off weapons like the over 300-km range ‘Scalp’ air-to-ground cruise missiles.
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