SOURCE: MINT
In a big boost to Indian Air Force (IAF), the third batch of three Rafale fighter jets landed in India on Wednesday evening after flying non-stop from France. The jets flew over 7000km with in-flight refuelling. With the arrival of the new batch, the number of Rafale aircraft has increased to 11.
“The third batch of three Rafale aircraft landed at an IAF base a short while ago. They flew over 7000Km with in-flight refuelling. The aircraft got airborne earlier in the day from #IstresAirBase in France. IAF deeply appreciates the tanker support provided by UAE Air Force,” the Indian Air Force said in a tweet.
“Three more #Rafale jets take off from France for a non stop flight to India with mid air refueling by UAE MRTT; Adding more strength to India’s air power. Wishing our amazing pilots smooth flight & safe landing with superb fighter jets,” the Indian embassy in France tweeted earlier.
This batch is the third set of deliveries of the Rafale aircraft to the IAF. The air force had ordered a total of 36 warplanes at a cost of ?59,000 crores from France in September 2016. This delivery will take the number of Rafales in the IAF’s inventory to 11.
The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on 29 July 2020. The second batch of three Rafale jets arrived in India on November 3.
The Rafale jets, manufactured by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, are India’s first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 year after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia.
The new fleet of Rafale jets has been carrying out sorties in eastern Ladakh.
The Rafale jets are capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA’s Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile, Scalp cruise missile and MICA weapons system will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.
from Indian Defence Research Wing https://ift.tt/2NCUF45
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