After Tejas, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh To Fly Sortie On Rafale In France Next Week

The Defence Minister will be flying to France to receive the first of the 36 Rafale aircraft, as per a contract which India has entered into with the fighter jet's manufacturer Dassault Aviation.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will fly a sortie on a Rafale aircraft in France on October 8, defence sources said here on Thursday. (PTI)

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will fly a sortie on a Rafale aircraft in France next week. According to defence sources, the Defence Minister is scheduled to visit France to receive Rafale fighter jets on October 8. The date has been chosen for formally receiving the aircraft because Dussehra this year falls on it and Air Force Day in India is also observed on the same day. "Rajnath Singh will fly a sortie on a Rafale aircraft when he formally receives the first aircraft in France on October 8. He will fly the sortie on a two-seater trainer aircraft," a senior defence ministry official was quoted by IANS as saying. Although with the Defence Minister's visit, the Rafale planes would be officially inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF), they would start arriving in India only in May 2020 after training of pilots and personnel on it. The Defence Minister will be flying to France to receive the first of the 36 Rafale aircraft, as per a contract which India has entered into with the fighter jet's manufacturer Dassault Aviation. After receiving the Rafale fighter jets, the Defence Minister will hold talks with the French government on further strengthening the military ties. Top French military brass as well as senior officials of the Dassault Aviation, the makers of Rafale, will also be present at the handing over ceremony. In September, Rajnath Singh had flown a 30-minute sortie on a Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) in Bengaluru. He had described the experience as thrilling and had also said on the occasion that India is ready to export the LCA. The Indian planes have been equipped with a lot of India-specific enhancements, which have been fitted at a cost of around one billion euros. (with inputs from agencies)