The third batch of three Rafale aircraft landed at an IAF base late in the evening on Wednesday. The jets took off from the Istres Air Base in France earlier today and flew nearly 7000 kilometres non-stop, with in-flight refuelling provided by the Air Force of the United Arab Emirates.
After the third batch of three Rafale fighter aircraft flying to India, the total strength of Rafale fighter aircraft in India rises to 11. After the first batch of five Rafale jets that reached India on July 29, 2020, and were formally inducted into IAF on September 10, 2020, the Indian Air Force got an extraordinary push with enhanced fighter power. The second batch of three more Rafale air jets joined the Indian Air Force’s solitary Rafale squadron in November when they flew non-stop from France to Jamnagar to finally reach Ambala. The third batch of three more Rafale fighter aircraft will add more strength to the IAF. The chief of Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria had announced about the arrival of 3rd batch of three Rafale Jets during the recent desert night exercise with France and space force in Jodhpur. Soon these jets will be formally inducted into the Golden Arrow Squadron in Ambala.
The Rafale jets, known for air-superiority and precision strikes, are India”s first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 year after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia. The aircraft is 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.
