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NEW DELHI: The last of the 36 IAF Rafale aircraft has landed in India, the Indian Air Force said on Thursday.
The aircraft reached India from France after a quick en-route mid-air refuelling from a UAE Air Force tanker, the IAF said.
The delivery of all the aircraft India had signed for in an over Rs 60,000 crore deal inked in 2016 is now complete. The other 35 jets delivered earlier are stationed at Ambala, Haryana and Hashimara in West Bengal.
Officials had said that the 36th aircraft with RB tail number has been provided to the Indian side by France with all its spares and other parts replaced as it was being used for developmental activities, news agency ANI reported.
The Rafale is a 4.5-generation aircraft and has helped India regain its supremacy over Indian subconstituent skies with long-range air-to-air and air-to-ground along with advanced radar and electronic warfare capabilities.
The Rafale was inducted swiftly into the Indian Air Force at the peak of the conflict with China and had started operating over Ladakh within a week of its arrival in the country.
The IAF also quickly fired and operationalized the long-range Meteor air-to-air missiles as well as the Scalp air-to-ground missiles.
The IAF has also added the HAMMER missile to the Rafale’s arsenal as it was required for carrying out precision attacks at shorter distances.
(With inputs from agencies)
The aircraft reached India from France after a quick en-route mid-air refuelling from a UAE Air Force tanker, the IAF said.
The delivery of all the aircraft India had signed for in an over Rs 60,000 crore deal inked in 2016 is now complete. The other 35 jets delivered earlier are stationed at Ambala, Haryana and Hashimara in West Bengal.
Officials had said that the 36th aircraft with RB tail number has been provided to the Indian side by France with all its spares and other parts replaced as it was being used for developmental activities, news agency ANI reported.
The Rafale is a 4.5-generation aircraft and has helped India regain its supremacy over Indian subconstituent skies with long-range air-to-air and air-to-ground along with advanced radar and electronic warfare capabilities.
The Rafale was inducted swiftly into the Indian Air Force at the peak of the conflict with China and had started operating over Ladakh within a week of its arrival in the country.
The IAF also quickly fired and operationalized the long-range Meteor air-to-air missiles as well as the Scalp air-to-ground missiles.
The IAF has also added the HAMMER missile to the Rafale’s arsenal as it was required for carrying out precision attacks at shorter distances.
(With inputs from agencies)
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