The first five of a batch of French Rafale fighter jets purchased by New Delhi in a controversial multi-billion dollar deal headed to India yesterday for rapid deployment amid rising tensions with China.
The deal, estimated to be worth $9.4bn, has been shadowed by corruption allegations levelled by the opposition Congress party, though Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rejected the claims.
The jets built by Dassault Aviation – piloted by officers from the Indian Air Force (IAF) – took off from Merignac in southwest France, the company said in a statement.
By tomorrow, the five planes should be at the Ambala air base in Punjab, some 200km from the Pakistani and Chinese borders.
They will refuel midair several times on the way and also make a stopover in Al Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates, where France has an air base.
The Indian embassy in Paris said that the aircraft deal has enabled India to take a significant step in strengthening its air power and defence preparedness.
This also marks a new milestone in the strong and growing India-France defence co-operation, the French embassy said.
India’s ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf attended the event to see off the Rafale jets.
“The long-awaited and much-needed two squadrons of Rafale would add great strength to Indian Air Force and India’s defence capabilities,” Ashraf said.
The ambassador met the IAF pilots and congratulated them on becoming the first Indian pilots to fly one of the world’s most advanced and potent fighter aircraft.
Ashraf also thanked the French Air Force for its support and Dassault for delivering the aircraft on schedule despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Delivery of the Rafale jets – 36 of which were ordered by India in September 2016 – officially began in October but the planes stayed in France for training of the pilots and mechanics.
The delivery should be completed by 2022.
“I am strongly impressed by the amazing efficiency and determination of the Indian Air Force and Indian Ministry of Defence,” the chief executive of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier, said in a statement.
He said that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, they had managed to “master rapidly all aspects of the Rafale for comforting Indian sovereignty and contributing to the protection and security of Indian people.”
The planes are awaited with impatience by New Delhi, which is eager to update its ageing fighter jet force as tensions flare with both China and Pakistan.
Brutal hand-to-hand fighting with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh last month left 20 Indian soldiers dead.
China has said it also suffered casualties but has not given figures.
The IAF has said that once the planes arrive in India “efforts will focus on operationalisation of the aircraft at the earliest.”
Further batches of IAF personnel will continue the training over the next nine months, a statement by the Indian embassy said.
India and France have a long history of co-operation in fighter aircraft, which includes India’s acquisition of French Toofanis in 1953, then the Mystere, Jaguar and Mirage.
In a gesture of friendship, the government of France yesterday sent an aircraft with medical equipment and experts to support India’s efforts against the Covid-19 pandemic, the statement said.
A handout picture released yesterday by Dassault Aviation shows IAF pilots, Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier (eighth left), Indian ambassador Jawed Ashraf (seventh left), and officials posing before an Indian Air Force Rafale aircraft at Merignac air base, southwestern France.
