Ten New Rafales To Join Air Force Fleet Next Month

March 28, 2021

In a move that will boost the Indian Air Force`s (IAF) firepower, the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces will be getting 10 new Rafale fighter jets.

In a move that will boost the Indian Air Force`s (IAF) firepower, the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces will be getting 10 new Rafale fighter jets in the next 30 days.

The first batch of five Rafale jets had arrived in India last year on July 28 and was officially inducted on September 10 by the government. “Three aircraft will arrive by Tuesday-Wednesday this week while seven to eight of them will be here in the second half of April. This will enhance our strike capability by almost double,” top government sources told India Today TV.

This addition would increase the number of aircraft to 21 as 11 of them are already in use at the Ambala airbase, the officials said.

After arriving from France, some of these planes will also be sent to West Bengal’s Hasimara base for starting the second squadron of Rafale jets in India. The Rafale jets have been operationalised within a few days in view of the ongoing situation, the officials further said.

The aircraft had also been deployed for patrolling along the China front in eastern Ladakh and other fronts at the time of the border confrontation.

India had ordered 36 of these fighter aircraft from France in September 2016 and by April-end, more than 50 per cent of these fighters will have arrived in India.

After the planes were formally indicted in September, the second set of Rafale fighter jets reached India in November. The twin-engine Rafale jets are capable of carrying out a variety of missions such as ground and sea attack, air defence and air superiority, reconnaissance, and nuclear strike deterrence.

The delivery of all 36 aircraft is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

India is now going to place orders for 114 multirole fighter aircraft along with the indigenously-developed stealth fighters Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft whose seven squadrons would join the Air Force in the next 15-20 years.

Courtesy: India Today