WATCH | India's Rafale jets participate in flypast at Bastille Day parade as PM Modi looks on
Rafale flypast over Bastille Day parade
In what was a remarkable moment of honour for India, three Indian Air Force Rafale fighter jets bulleted over the Paris skyline in a flypast during Bastille Day Parade.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Guest of Honour at the parade, applauded the swift move by the jets alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife.
Group Captain Abhishek Tripathi, commanding officer of 101 Squadron (Rafale) lead the formation during the flypast which was performed without any glitch.
The Rafale jets had reached France a couple of days back after making the long journey from India.
Apart from the Rafale jets, the parade witnessed a 269-member tri-services contingent of the Indian Armed Forces marching alongside their French counterparts.
Rafale jets in India
French-made Rafale jets are a crucial part of the Indian forces sinceNew Delhi procured 36 jets from Paris under an inter-governmental framework.
As PM Modi began his two-day trip to Paris, New Delhi gave its initial approval topurchase 26 more Rafale fighter jets for its navy and three Scorpene class submarines.
France has been one of India's oldest strategic partners in the West. The two nations are celebrating 25 years of strategic partnership this year.
Prior to PM Modi'svisit, the Elysee Palace office released a statement saying the Indian PM's presence and the participation of Indian forces in the parade would mark "a new phase in the strategic partnership between France and India".
It added that the two nations would "set new objectives for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation, including in a large number of industrial sectors".
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What is Bastille Day?
Bastille Day is the national day of France, which is marked annually on July 14. It is formally called the Fête nationale française and legally it is known as le 14 juillet. Celebrations are held across the nation on the day observed as the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille in 1789 — a major event of the French Revolution. It is also a day to remember the unity of the French people.
(With inputs from agencies)
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