IAF chief in France flags off 4 Rafale aircraft for India

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Wednesday flagged off four Rafale fighter jets for India from a military airbase in France, people familiar with the development said.

Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria visited a Rafale aircraft training facility on the third day of his five-day visit to France. He also thanked the French aerospace industry for ensuring timely delivery of the jets.

"Air Chief Mshl RKS Bhadauria on an official tour to France lauds pilots and sees off the next batch of Rafales on a non stop flight to India with mid air refuelling by

French Air force and UAE. Thanks France especially FASF and French Industry for timely delivery & pilot training on schedule despite COVID," the Indian embassy in France tweeted.

The Indian embassy did not mention the number of aircraft flagged off by the IAF Chief but people associated with the event said four jets formed the new batch that left from France's Merignac airbase.

In his brief remarks, the IAF Chief said some of the Rafale aircraft have been delivered a "little bit" ahead of time and it has contributed to the overall combat potential of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Ahead of his visit, military officials in Delhi said that his trip to France is expected to boost cooperation between the IAF and the French Air and Space Force (FASF).

"This ferry, which is fifth from here, marks the end of the third batch of our pilots and all our maintenance crew. The Rafale training centre has provided world class training and it is because of the level and quality of training that we were able to operationalise the aircraft quickly," he said.

He also thanked the French government, the French Air Force for providing the required support for the training programme as well as for ferrying of the aircraft to India.