As it happened: 5 Rafales join Indian Air Force
Indian Air force formally inducted the Rafale aircraft in the 17 Squadron 'Golden Arrows' at Air Force Station, Ambala. Photograph: (X)
<p>The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets has been formally inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Ambala air base today. The induction is significant as it comes at a time India is engaged in an escalating border row with China in eastern Ladakh. <br /> </p>Key Updates
10 Sep 2020, 9:34 (IST)
Ten Rafale jets have been delivered to India so far and five of them stayed back in France for imparting training to IAF pilots. The delivery of all 36 aircraft is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.
The second batch of four to five Rafale jets is likely to arrive in India by November.
Out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets.
The Rafale jets are capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.
Meteor is a next generation beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden.