Skip to main content

More firepower to IAF, 3 more Rafales to be added to fleet

The three new additions will add to the current fleet of eight Rafale jets.

Three Rafale combat aircraft will arrive in India on Thursday after flying non-stop from France, an Indian Air Force official said on Wednesday. 

The three Rafale combat aircraft, manufactured by French company Dassault Aviation, took off from Istres in France on Wednesday.

The Indian Embassy in France tweeted that three more Rafale jets have taken off from Istres for a non-stop flight to India with mid-air refuelling.

"Adding more strength to India's air power. Wishing our amazing pilots a smooth flight and safe landing with superb fighter jets," the Indian Embassy said.

With three more aircraft, the IAF will now have 11 Rafale jets in service. Further, Indian Air Force pilots are being trained in batches at the Saint-Dizier air base in France.

India received the first batch of five Rafale aircraft on July 29, 2020 which were inducted into the 17 'Golden Arrows' Squadron on September 10 at the Ambala Air Base.

Second batch of three Rafale combat aircraft arrived in India on November 4, 2020 after flying non-stop from France.

India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 Rafale jets at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore.

Rafale is a 4.5 generation aircraft and has the latest weapons, superior sensors and fully integrated architecture. It is an omni-role aircraft which means it can carry out at least four missions in one sortie.

The fighter jet has HAMMER missiles. It will also be armed with beyond visual range missiles like Meteor, SCALP and MICA, increasing its ability to take on incoming targets from a distance.
Labels:
Location: bendre layout, Gubbi cross, DR Bendre Layout, Kothanur, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560077, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Explained: What is Army Aviation Corps, the youngest Corps of the Indian Army

A look at the Army Aviation Corps’ history and its relevance in modern day battlefields, including in Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism (CI-CT) operations. Representative Image The Army Aviation Corps (AAC), the youngest Corps of the Indian Army, celebrated its 35th Corps Day on November 1. We take a look at the arm that adds an air dimension to the Army’s capabilities, its history, and its relevance in modern day battlefields, including Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism (CI-CT) operations. The roots of Army Aviation Corps The origin of the AAC can be traced back to the raising of the Army Aviation wing of the Royal Air Force in India in 1942, and the subsequent formation of the first Indian Air Observation Post in August 1947. The Air Observation Post units primarily acted as artillery spotters – which are the elements that help the artillery in directing the fire and also giving air support to ground forces. In the wars of 1965 and 1971, the Air Observation Post helicop...
Post a Comment
Read more

That time when India took half of Pakistan to make it pay for a motorcycle

In 1947, British officer Yahya Khan offered his colleague 1,000 rupees for his spiffy red motorcycle. His colleague, Sam Manekshaw, agreed. But before Khan could pay, he was off to what was going to become Pakistan. The British split its Indian colony, and things on the subcontinent have been pretty tense ever since. To top it all off, Yahya Khan didn't pay for the motorbike. But he would, even if it took almost 25 years. The Partition of India was much more than the splitting of the British Raj into two independent states. It was a catastrophic split that tore apart the country and created millions of refugees, cost millions of lives, and split the armed forces of the country in two, all based on religion. Violence erupted almost immediately between the two groups on such a large scale that much of it has never been forgotten or forgiven. Animosity continued between both sides for decades, and the two have fought war after war because of the myriad issues left unaddressed. By 1970...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explained: India-US defence deals - BECA, LEMOA & COMCASA

At 2+2 meeting next week, the two countries will look to push intelligence sharing pact BECA . With key deals LEMOA and COMCASA already signed, what does it mean for defence, particularly in light of LAC standoff? India and US have signed the LEMOA in 2016, COMCASA in 2018 and BECA is scheduled for the third 2+2 ministerial meeting (on November 3rd) India and the US are preparing for the third 2+2 ministerial meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh , and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark T Esper in New Delhi on October 26-27. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen E Biegun visited India last week to lay the groundwork for the high-level visits 2+2 in 2018. One of the items on the agenda will be the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) — a pact with deep military implications. In the last two meetings, agreements known as LEMOA and COMCASA were signed; now, with BECA, these have been dubbed the ...
Post a Comment
Read more