After R-Day Rafale Show, 3 More Jets on Way to India from France in Non-stop Flight

Three more Rafale jets are on its way to India from France, the Indian Embassy in France said in a statement on Wednesday. The jets are on a non-stop flight to India with the help of mid-air refuelling.

“Three more Rafale jets take off from France for a non-stop flight to India with mid-air refuelling by UAE MRTT, adding more strength to India’s air power,” the Indian Embassy in France, said.

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The third set of deliveries, this batch of Rafales will be followed by three more jets in March, and seven more in April. The first batch of five Rafales arrived in India on July 28 and was officially inducted in September at Ambala Air Base in Haryana on September 10 by the government.

The second batch of Rafale aircraft arrived in India on November 4 after flying non-stop from France.

The Rafale fighter jet on Tuesday took centre stage during the Republic Day parade, with a ‘Vertical Charlie’ manouevre. The plane flew from Rashtrapati Bhavan at a speed of 900 km/hr before pulling up vertically at a 90 degree angle and spinning three-four times.

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India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore. The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons and missiles and the first squadron of the aircraft will be deployed at Ambala air force station, considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF.

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