WATCH: 5 Rafale fighter jets takes off from France for India
Total Views |
Paris, July 27: In a long-awaited development, the first batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft on Monday took off for India from Dassault Aviation Facility, from an airbase in Merignac in France. These fighter jets will the Indian Air Force fleet in Ambala airbase on June 29 (Wednesday).
"India took a significant step in strengthening airpower and defence preparedness with the first fice Rafale fighter aircraft, built by Dassault, flying out from Merignac airbase in Bordeaux, France to India today. This also marks a new milestone in the strong and growing India-France defense cooperation." the Indian embassy in France said in a statement.
The fighter aircraft was flagged off by the Indian Ambassador to France who interacted with the India crew flying it back to India. "He said that long-awaited and much needed two squadrons of rafale would add great strength to IAF and our defence capabilities, " the statement read.
These 5 aircraft include 3 single-seater and 2 twin-seater aircraft. The aircraft flying to India today includes seven Indian pilots including the commanding officer of the 17 Golden Arrows squadron.
Rafale aircrafts maneuvered by the world’s best pilots, soar into the sky. Emblematic of new heights in India-France defence collaboration #ResurgentIndia #NewIndia@IAF_MCC @MeaIndia @rajnathsingh @Dassault_OnAir @DefenceMinIndia @PMOIndia@JawedAshraf5 @DDNewslive @ANI pic.twitter.com/FrEQYROWSv
— India in France (@IndiaembFrance) July 27, 2020
The ferry is planned in two stages & is being undertaken by IAF pilots. It will cover a distance of nearly 7,000 km from France to India with air-to-air refueling and a single stop at a French airbase in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which will be undertaken by dedicated Tanker support from French Air Force.
The first 5 #IAF #Rafales have taken off from Dassault Aviation Facility, Merignac, #France today morning. These 5 include 3 single-seater and 2 twin-seater aircraft. The ferry is planned in two stages & is being undertaken by IAF pilots. 1/2#RafaleJet pic.twitter.com/0TWU5zlgvQ
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) July 27, 2020
"The new Rafales add strategic depth and strength to India's air combat capabilities. They fly out of France today to join the growing Indian fleet of aircraft," the Indian embassy tweeted.
"Beauty and the Beast"- #Rafale Fighter Aircraft. Ready to take off @MEAIndia @JawedAshraf5 @gouvernementFR @Dassault_OnAir @rajnathsingh @DefenceMinIndia @DDNewslive @ANI @DrSJaishankar @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/TTAi6DHun7
— India in France (@IndiaembFrance) July 27, 2020
"Delivery of ten aircraft has been completed on schedule. Five will stay back in France for training Mission. The delivery of all thirty-six aircraft will be completed on schedule by the end of 2021. In a gesture of friendship, the Government of France will send an aircraft with medical equipment and experts on July 26 to support India's efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic," the Indian embassy in France said in a statement added.
The five aircraft will be the first tranche of the 36 planes bought by India. The Ministry had earlier said that the IAF aircrew and ground crew have undergone comprehensive training on the aircraft, including its highly advanced weapons systems, and are fully operational now. Post arrival, efforts will focus on the operationalization of the aircraft at the earliest.
In accordance with the contract, IAF pilots and supporting personnel has been provided full training on aircraft and weapon systems by Dassault. Further batches of IAF personnel will continue the training over the next nine months.
The Rafale fighter jets are capable of carrying a range of highly effective weapons, including the Meteor air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile. It will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low-band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems among others. The Air Force has readied the required infrastructure to welcome the jets in its line-up.
Press Release regarding Rafale Fighter Aircraft#Rafale #NewIndia #ResurgentIndia@MEAIndia @gouvernementFR @IndianDiplomacy @Dassault_OnAir @IAF_MCC @DrSJaishankar @PMOIndia @harshvshringla @JawedAshraf5 @FranceinIndia@DDNewslive @ANI @DDNewsHindi pic.twitter.com/a0TZhxBlzI
— India in France (@IndiaembFrance) July 27, 2020
Last month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a telephonic conversation with his French counterpart Florence Parly, who assured the delivery of the first batch of the plane would take place as scheduled despite the coronavirus pandemic.
In September 2016, India had signed a deal with France for the acquisition of 36 Rafale multi-role fighter jets in a fly-away condition along with 13 India Specific Enhancements (ISE) under a €7.87 billion (Rs. 60,000 crores) Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA).
The arrival of jets was postponed given the coronavirus crisis. "In mid-March, there were 8-9 weeks of training left before the first major group could move to India for starting operations here. Some logistic support equipment and test equipment were also to be flown to Ambala beginning April, which is postponed as of now due to the lockdown and restrictions on flights imposed by India."
Last year in October, on a visit to France for the second India-France ministerial-level annual defence dialogue, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took formal delivery of the first Rafale jet built for the IAF at the Dassault Aviation’s facility in Merignac. At that time, the Defence Ministry had stated that during the dialogue the “French side has agreed to consider the Indian request for 8-10 Meteor missiles to be given to India by 2020 with the first four aircraft”.
Amid the tensions along Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and the continuous ceasefire violations by Pakistan, the arrival of Rafale fighter jets can prove fatal to have edge over these nations.