At a ceremony in France on Tuesday, Singh formally took the delivery of the first of the 36 long-awaited French-made aircraft acquired by the Indian Air Force. He also took a sortie in the two-seater jet.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday raked up the Rafale deal issue to target the BJP government, days after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh received the first fighter jet from France.
Addressing a rally Amit Shah asked public if 'Shashtra Pujan' not performed on Vijayadashami? He also said that Congress should ponder over what needs to be criticised and what not.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday performed 'Shastra Puja' (worship of weapons) on the occasion of Dussehra after receiving the first of 36 Rafale jets in the French port city of Bordeaux.
India received its first French-made fourth generation Rafale fighter jet in Tuesday with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flying a sortie after the hand over. This is the first of 36 Rafale fighters to be delivered to India. The deliveries will be over in the next five years.
"Congress leader Rahul Gandhi opposed scrapping of Article 370. I want to ask Rahul to make it clear whether he is in favour or against the scrapping of Article 370," the BJP president said at a poll rally in Kaithal, referring to the abrogation of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir.
India, finally, has its Rafale! Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday received the first Rafale combat jet at Merignac Airport in France, powering the Indian Air Force to newer heights of air dominance and unrivalled deep strike capability.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh formally received the first Rafale fighter jet in France’s Merignac, a delivery the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been eagerly waiting for nearly two decades now.
Rafale is finally here. The latest addition to India's aerial firepower was handed to Indian Air Force (IAF) in a ceremony in France. India's defence minister Rajnath Singh accepted the fighter aircraft on country's behalf.
Rafale jet carrying Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lands after completing 35 min sortie
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday took a sortie in a Rafale in France after formally receiving the first fighter jet. Watch Video.
Rafale jet carrying Defence Minister Rajnath Singh takes off for a sortie
As Rafale fighter jet was handed over to India on Dussehra, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh performed the traditional Shastra Puja as a mark of respect for the newest addition to India's firepower. But what is Shastra Puja or Ayudha Puja?
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday performed 'Shastra Puja' (worship of weapons) on the occasion of Dussehra after receiving the first of 36 Rafale jets in the French port city of Bordeaux. On receiving the first Rafale, Rajnath Singh marked religious symbol 'Om' on the aircraft, put a coconut and placed lemons ahead of its wheels to complete the traditional puja.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh performs 'Shastra Puja'as Rafale combat jet officially handed over to India.
India, finally, has its Rafale! Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday received the first Rafale combat jet at Merignac Airport in France, powering the Indian Air Force to newer heights of air dominance and unrivalled deep strike capability. This is the formal handover ceremony but the first batch of four Rafale jets will fly to their home base in India by May 2020. All 36 jets are expected to arrive in India by September 2022. It was in September 2016 when India ordered 36 Rafale fighter jets from France in a deal worth Rs 59,000 crore.
Rajnath Singh to perform 'Shastra Puja' in Paris shortly. India will recieve the first Rafale jet today
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called on French President Emmanuel Macron here on Tuesday and the two leaders discussed stronger India-France defence and strategic ties during their "very warm and productive" meeting.
All 36 jets are expected to arrive in India by September 2022, for which the IAF has been reportedly undertaking preparations, including readying required infrastructure and training of pilots.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will receive first of the 36 Rafale jets in France today.
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