Three new Rafale jets to fly non-stop from France to India
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French Air Force refuelling aircraft to accompany them.
Three Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force are scheduled to arrive on November 4 flying non-stop from France, an official supply stated. With this, the IAF could have eight of the 36 Rafale jets in service.
“Three Rafale jets will fly directly from Istres in France to Jamnagar, an eight-hour-plus non-stop flight,” the supply stated. They can be accompanied by French Air Force mid-air refuelling plane. “There will be three tankings in all,” the supply stated.
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The first batch of 5 Rafale jets have been formally inducted into the No.17 ‘Golden Arrows’ squadron of the IAF on September 10 on the Ambala Air Force station. They arrived in India in July with a stopover on the Al Dhafra airbase within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). During the primary leg of the flight from the Merignac airbase at Bordeaux in France to the UAE, the jets have been accompanied by the French Air Force mid-air refuellers. For the journey from the UAE, they have been accompanied by IAF midair refuellers.
The 5 jets, three single seat and two twin-seater trainers, have been flown from France by IAF pilots led by Commanding Officer of No. 17 squadron Group Captain Harkirat Singh. The Indian Embassy in France had stated in an announcement that supply of all 36 plane can be accomplished as per schedule by 2021-end. The second squadron can be based mostly at Hasimara in West Bengal.
Last month, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria stated the IAF would get three or 4 Rafales each two or three months until all 36 jets have been delivered and that the primary squadron can be totally prepared by 2021-end and the second by 2023. “In the next three years, we will see the Rafale and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) MK1 squadrons operating with full strength, along with additional Su-30MKI and MiG 29 aircraft, that are being ordered in addition to the current fleets,” he stated.
India has contracted 36 Rafale omni-role fighter jets from France in fly-away situation with 13 India Specific Enhancements (ISE) underneath a €7.87-billion Inter-Governmental Agreement signed in September 2016.
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