New Delhi. The strength of the Indian Air Force is going to increase further amid the ongoing military standoff with China in eastern Ladakh. To strengthen the Indian Air Force, three more Rafale aircraft are going to arrive on Indian soil on Wednesday. This is the ninth batch of Rafale aircraft. The three Rafales will fly from France and reach Jamnagar airbase in Ahmedabad after covering a distance of about eight thousand kilometers without stopping.
After the arrival of this consignment of Rafale aircraft, India will have 29 Rafale aircraft. Let us tell you that in 2016, India had signed an agreement to purchase 36 Rafale aircraft from France for Rs 60,000 crore. These planes are coming to India under the same agreement.
Official sources said that the three Rafale aircraft will land at Jamnagar airbase. This is the first batch of Rafale aircraft to arrive from France after Air Chief Marshal VR Choudhary took over as the Chief of the Air Staff.
The first squadron of Rafale aircraft is stationed at Ambala Air Force Station in Haryana. The first consignment of five state-of-the-art Rafale fighter jets arrived in India on July 29, 2020, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France for the purchase of 36 aircraft at a cost of around Rs 60,000 crore.