The Indian Air Force (IAF), is all set to receive 16 more 4.5 generation Rafale fighters by the end of April 2021, reported by Swarajya.
The IAF already has five Rafale fighter jets which were recently inducted into the No.17 Squadron (Golden Arrows) at a formal ceremony in Ambala in the presence of the Indian and the French defense ministers.
As per reports, three of the fighter aircraft will arrive in India on 5 November bolstering the strength of the current squadron.
In another development, unlike the last time when the Rafale fighters had to make a stopover in the UAE, these three fighters will fly to India directly from the Dassault Aviation assembly plant in Bordeaux-Merignac facility in southwest France to India refueled mid-air all the way.
India will receive three more Rafale fighters in January 2021, three in March, and seven in April, the news report says.
The IAF has already been flying the Rafales with its advanced onboard weapons systems on ‘familiarization’ sorties. The arrival of these fighters could not have come at a more crucial time as India is facing an aggressive and belligerent China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
With the timely arrival of 16 more fighters by April, the Golden Arrows squadron will get all of its 18 fighters. The IAF plans to place at least three fighters for the eastern front and they will be based at the Hasimara Airbase in West Bengal.