Rafale will boost India’s air dominance: Rajnath
DELIVERY Defence minister receives first of 36 Rafale jets
MERIGNAC(FRANCE): The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday received its first Rafale fighter jet from a series of 36 aircraft purchased from France in the presence of defense minister Rajnath Singh here.
Singh attended the handover ceremony of the first Rafale fighter jet acquired by the IAF along with his French counterpart Florence Parly at aircraft maker Dassault Aviation facility in Merignac in southwestern France.
“Our air force is the fourth largest in the world and I believe that the Rafale medium multi-roll combat aircraft will make us even stronger and give a boost to India’s air dominance exponentially to ensure peace and security in the region,” Singh said after receiving the aircraft.
Singh said it was a historic day for the Indian armed forces. “Such achievements encourage us to do more and that will be on my agenda when I meet minister Parly today,” Singh said, in reference to the annual Indo-french Defence Dialgoue scheduled for later on Tuesday in Paris.
Dassault Aviation chief executive officer (CEO) Eric Trappier welcomed Singh after he landed at the Bordeaux-merignac Air Base from Paris on a French military aircraft. He visited the production unit of Dassault Aviation led by Trappier and other French officials.
Singh was shown a short audio-visual clip on the history of aircraft manufacturing by Dassault before the handing over ceremony.
Singh, who earlier held wideranging talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, said his visit was aimed at “expanding the strategic partnership” between India and France.
The Union minister performed a brief Shastra Puja on the new aircraft as he emblazoned it with an ‘Om’ tilak and laid flowers and a coconut, just before he undertook a sortie in the twin-seater trainer version of the fighter aircraft. He was joined by senior representatives of the Indian armed forces, including Air Marshall Harjit Singh Arora, to mark the induction ceremony.
“I have been told that the French word Rafale means andhi in Hindi or gust of wind. I am sure that the aircraft will live up to its name,” he said.
The RB001 Rafale, denoting the initials of Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Bhadauria who played a key role in striking the deal for the jets in his previous role as IAF deputy chief, was unveiled with the Indian tricolour as its backdrop.
India had ordered 36 Rafale fighter jets from France in a deal worth ~59,000 crore in September 2016. The first batch of four Rafale jets will fly to their home base in India by May 2020.
All 36 jets are expected to