Eight more Rafale fighter jets will arrive in India the next month, taking the total tally to 19. With this, the first 17 Arrow Squadrons formed in Ambala for Rafale will also be completed. French Defense Minister Florence Parle will visit India in April. However, the date of his tour of India is not final yet.
First Batch
The first batch of five Rafale jets from the French company had reached Ambala airbase on July 29 after a stopover at Al Dhafra airbase near Abu Dhabi. The Indian Air Force formally inducted these fighter jets into its fleet on 10 September 2020.
Second batch
The second batch of three Rafale fighter jets arrived directly from France at the Jamnagar airbase of Gujarat in early November last year. India has also operationalized these fighter jets and deployed them on the fronts of China and Pakistan. In the third batch, three Rafael jets landed at Jamnagar airbase in Gujarat on 27 January, completing a flight of more than 7000 km from France. During the flight, all three fighter jets were fueled in the air by the United Arab Emirates Air Force.
In this way, 11 Rafale jets have come to India and become part of the fleet of the Indian Air Force. Eight more Rafales will reach India next month itself. In this way, out of 36 Rafale fighter jets ordered in 2016 from French company D assault Aviation, India will have 19 fighter jets Rafale. Of the 36 Rafale aircraft received by the Air Force, 30 will be combat aircraft and six will be training aircraft. The training aircraft will be of two seats and will have almost all the features that fighter aircraft have.
Air Force Squadron
An Air Force squadron consists of 16 combat aircraft and two pilot training aircraft. In this way, the first 17 Arrow Squadrons formed in Ambala for Rafale will be completed after receiving the eight new jets. The second squadron of Rafale aircraft is formed at Hashimara, Kolkata. That is, the remaining 17 Rafales from France will be handed over to the second squadron.
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