3 more Rafale jets landed from France to India on Wednesday (January 27), making it the third batch of jets that the Indian Air Force has received from the company. They were refuelled in mid-air by Airbus MRTT tankers and landed at an IAF base after flying over 7000 km.
“The third batch of three Rafale aircraft landed at an IAF base a short while ago. They flew over 7000Km with in-flight refuelling. The aircraft got airborne earlier in the day from #IstresAirBase in France. IAF deeply appreciates the tanker support provided by UAE Air Force,” Indian Air Force tweeted.
Of the first two sets of delivered jets, while the first squadron has been stationed at the Ambala airbase, the second set has been stationed at Hasimara base in West Bengal.
A total of 36 warplanes had been ordered by the Indian Air Force at a cost of ₹59,000 crores from France in September 2016. This delivery will take the number of Rafales in the IAF’s inventory to 11. Notably, the IAF is also planning to add a new series of fighter jets called the Hammer. Hammer (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) is a precision-guided missile developed by French defence major Safran. The missile was originally designed and manufactured for the French Air Force and Navy.
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