4 more Rafale fighter jets to come from France to India

Another batch of Rafale fighter aircraft is scheduled to reach India from France on May 19-20. All four aircraft are scheduled to reach Ambala from the Merignac-Bordeaux airbase. With this, the Indian Air Force is ready to revive the 101 Falcons of Chamb squadron at Hashimara in West Bengal. There is a strong possibility that France will hand over all 36 Rafale fighter aircraft to India before April 2022. It was also announced in the Parliament by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. He said that by the end of May, the Indian Air Force would have 24 Rafale fighter jets. The other seven will be kept in France for training purposes and only 5 more will be assigned before the completion of the two squadrons. The last five aircraft may be delivered to India in the second half of 2021 as Egypt has also ordered 30 Rafale fighter jets. The exact date of Rafale’s landing in India will be determined by the UAE Air Force by looking at air refueling availability and weather conditions. The home base of the second squadron will be Hashimara.

Apart from its runway, ammunition depot, blast pens and personnel accommodation are being prepared with the materials required for maintenance. An air marshal said that the Hashimara airport has been completely redesigned. It should be operational by the end of this month. Planes will be parked here. In times of war, fighter jets will operate from anywhere in the country according to the combat plan. India is meeting the stalled requirement of its 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA). For this, more front-line fighters are moving towards the purchase of aircraft. France has not only offered hot engine technology to India, but is also ready to jointly develop an extended range of air-to-ground missiles under the self-sufficient India campaign.