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The Defence Ministry has confirmed that India has also invited Singh’s French counterpart, Florence Parly, to attend the ceremony. Invitation to the French Defence Minister marks the strategic friendship between the two countries.
Defence sources told ANI that the induction ceremony would be held after the return of the Defence Minister from Russia where he is scheduled to attend the meeting of the Defence Ministers of the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation from September 4 to 6.
"The Rafale aircraft induction ceremony would be held on September 10 with the Defence Minister as the Chief Guest. The French Defence Minister is also being sent an invite to attend the event to mark the strategic friendship between India and France," the sources said.
Five Rafale fighters of the 36 ordered arrived at the airbase on July 29, ending IAF’s wait for new fighter jets to sharpen its combat potential. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and other senior air force officers were present when the jets arrived, but a formal induction ceremony was reserved for another day.
The arrival of the jets coincided with the ongoing India-China border tensions in Ladakh.
The new fighters are the first imported jets to be inducted into the IAF in 23 years after the Russian Sukhoi-30 jets entered service in June 1997.
The Rafale Controversy
The French-origin fighter aircraft Rafale are part of the 17 Golden Arrows squadron of the Air Force. The jets that landed in Ambala on July 29 are the first batch of 36 that India had inked a Rs 58,000 crore deal with France to acquire as far back as 2016.
The Rafales armed with the air-to-air Meteor, air to ground SCALP, and Hammer missiles are expected to give an edge to the Indian Air Force over its traditional adversaries China and Pakistan in the South Asian skies due to its long-range hit capabilities.
However, the opposition parties have been targeting the Narendra Modi govt accusing it of non-transparency in the multi-billion dollar deal and called it "one of the biggest failures" of the 'Make-in-India' programme.
“Congratulations to IAF for Rafale. Meanwhile, can the Government of India (GOI) answer: Why each aircraft costs Rs 1670 Crores instead of Rs 526 Crores? Why 36 aircraft were bought instead of 126? Why was bankrupt Anil (Ambani’s firm) given a Rs 30,000 Crores contract instead of HAL,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had tweeted last month.