Paris : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday received the 1st of the much awaited 36 Rafale fighter jets on behalf of the Indian Air Force. Speaking on the occasion he said that the delivery of the first Rafale Jet marks the beginning of a new long history.
“The relationship between Dassault and India dates back to 1953. This event once again highlights the unique and strong strategic link between our two countries and between Dassault and the Indian Air Force. I have no doubt that this 1st Rafale delivered marks the beginning of a new long history ” he said.
The Rafale fighter jets, made by Dassault Aviation will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, SCALP ground attack Missiles, low band jammers, radar warning receivers, infra-red search , 10-hour flight data recording, and tracking systems.
The Indian government had signed an inter-governmental agreement with the French government for the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of Rs. 59,000 crore in September 2016. The first batch of four jets will come next May and by September 2022 delivery of all the 36 Rafale jets will be completed.