Naval variant of Rafale jets to equip Indian Navy, says Dassault Aviation
India | Jul 15, 2023, 04:11 PM ISTNotably, India is procuring the Rafale jets for deployment on the indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
Notably, India is procuring the Rafale jets for deployment on the indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
The French Air and Space Force is carrying out a major long-range mission in the Indo-Pacific, code-named Pegase 22, from August 10 to September 18.
The French embassy on Thursday said 33 Rafale jets have already been delivered to India on schedule despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria visited a Rafale aircraft training facility on the third day of his five-day visit to France. He also thanked the French aerospace industry for ensuring timely delivery of the jets.
Five Rafale fighter planes were formally inducted into the IAF in September last year. India is procuring the fighter planes from France. A total of 38 Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft participated in the flypast this year.
The first five of a batch of French Rafale fighter jets touched down at Haryana's Ambala on Wednesday after covering a distance of nearly 7,000 km to join the Indian Air Force fleet.
After flying for around 7,000 km, Rafale have landed at the Ambala Air Force Base. At Ambala, they are received by the Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria. Five French-made fighter jets, which have been considered as game-changer for Indian Air Force.
Indian Air Force's first batch of 5 Rafale aircraft has arrived at the Ambala airbase. The IAF pilots have flown the aircrafts from Al Dhafra airbase in UAE, where they had made an overnight halt.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh received the first Rafale jet at an air base in France on October 8. The first batch of four Rafale aircraft will arrive in India by May 2020.
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.
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.
The chief of Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Friday said the first Rafale fighter jets will be seen in Indian skies only by the end of May 2020.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with a team of senior officials, is scheduled to travel to France for receiving the first aircraft in a ceremony. India has signed a multi-billion dollar deal with France and Dassault Aviation for procuring 36 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and France President Macron recently held bilateral talks in Paris, and then again met in Biarritz during the G-7 summit.
The France-based Dassault Aviation, manufacturer of Rafale fighter jets, signed an agreement with the government- run ITI Nagpur last month for starting an 'Aeronautical Structure and Equipment Fitter' course at the institute
IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria has said that the Rafale fighter jets and the Sukhoi jets will be a deadly combination once they start operating jointly. The Indian Air Force Vice Chief said the combination would be a cause of worry for India's enemies, including Pakistan.
"This is fake news," French ambassador, Alexandre Ziegler officially denied that Pakistani Air Force pilots were trained on Rafale jets.
Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa asserted that at present, it is going to be the best aircraft in terms of the weapons capability in the Indian sub-continent and would be also the best in comparison with what China and Pakistan have.
"Efforts are being made to minimise accidents due to human error by providing best possible training to the air crew and technicians to meet the challenges of operating current generation fighters, as well as legacy aircraft and weapons systems", said Air Force Chief.
The 12th edition of the 5-day biennial air show will be held at IAF's Yelahanka base on the city's northern outskirts as before
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