India receives first ‘acceptance’ Rafale fighter jet from France
New Delhi, Sep 20: The Indian Air Force (IAF) received its first 'acceptance' Rafale combat aircraft from Dassault Aviation in France on Thursday, as per ANI. The fighter jet was received by Deputy Chief Air Marshal Chaudhary during his visit to France on Thursday.
Notably, Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria, who was appointed as the next Indian Ari Force chief on Thursday, was instrumental in steering the Rafale jet deal between India and France and was also among the first IAF officials to fly the jet.
India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore.
The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons and missiles.
The IAF has already completed preparations, including readying required infrastructure and training of pilots, to welcome the fighter aircraft.
Acoording to reports, the first squadron of the aircraft will be deployed at Ambala air force station, considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF. The Indo-Pak border is around 220 km from there.
The second squadron of Rafale will be stationed at Hasimara base in West Bengal.
A number of IAF teams have already visited France to help Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale, incorporate India-specific enhancements on-board the fighter aircraft.
The Rafale jets will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems among others.
The
Congress
raised
several
questions
about
the
deal,
including
on
rates
of
the
aircraft,
and
alleged
corruption
but
the
government
has
rejected
the
charges.
The
IAF
spent
around
Rs
400
crore
to
develop
required
infrastructure
like
shelters,
hangers
and
maintenance
facilities
at
the
two
bases.
In
July
2017,
Air
Chief
Marshal
B
S
Dhanoa,
during
his
visit
to
France,
flew
a
Rafale
jet
at
the
Saint-Dizier
airbase
to
gain
first-hand
experience
of
the
aircraft.
According
to
the
deal,
the
delivery
of
the
jets
was
to
be
completed
in
67
months
from
the
date
the
contract
was
inked.