French Air Force - Latest News Update, Information, Photos & Videos on French Air Force at Lokmat Times

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday (local time) confirmed that the first Rafale aircraft will reach India by next month.The remarks by the French President came after his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chantilly, a historical town located about 50 kilometres north of Paris.In September 2016, India had signed a deal with the French government and Dassault Aviation to acquire 36 Rafale fighter jets, which will start arriving India from May next year, for over Euro 7.8 billion to arrest the fall of combat squadrons and meet urgent requirements on the eastern and western fronts.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the Indian Air Force Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa will receive the first aircraft from the French authorities near the plane manufacturing plant in Bordeaux.The officials said the Indian Rafale is far more advanced than the ones operating with the French Air Force and that is why the plane would continue to be used for training Indian pilots till May next year.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.During a joint interaction with the French President, Modi said, "We are happy that the first of the 36 Rafale fighter aircraft will be handed over to India next month."Though small batches of Indian pilots have already trained on the French Air Force planes, the Indian Air Force would train 24 pilots in three different batches till next year May for flying the Indian Rafales.The Indian Air Force will deploy one each squadron of the Rafale combat aircraft at its airbases in Ambala in Haryana and Hashimara in Bengal.Defence industrial cooperation is one of the mainstays of the strategic partnership between India and France, said a statement issued after the joint interaction. The two sides expressed satisfaction over the progress made in the implementation of agreements signed, particularly the delivery of the first Rafale combat aircraft from this year."They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation in defence industry field and extended their support to existing and upcoming partnerships between the defence compes of the two countries in the spirit of "Make in India" and for the mutual benefit of both countries," the statement said."Both sides noted with satisfaction that Indian MSMEs are increasingly becoming part of global supply chains of French Defence and Aerospace OEMs and reaffirmed to give further impetus to this trend. They welcomed the ongoing collaboration between aerospace and defence industrial associations of both countries, SIDM for India and GIFAS for France," it added.( With inputs from ANI )

Home

City

Latest News

Cricket

LT Premium

National

International

Maharashtra

Opinions

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Nagpur

Entertainment

Photos

Business

Technology

Sports

Lifestyle

Social Viral

Lokmat Games

Health

Pahalgam Terror Attack

Tahawwur Rana

IPL 2025

CM Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai Local

Weather Update

French Air ForceFOLLOW

French air force, Latest News

National :Multiple events, including Russia-Ukraine war, disrupted supply chains: IAF Chief

New Delhi, May 16 The Indian Air Force (IAF) relies heavily on global supply chains for delivery of ... ...

National :In a first, IAF woman fighter pilot to participate in aerial wargames outside country in Japan

For the first time, an Indian Air Force woman fighter pilot would be part of the Indian contingent for ... ...

National :In a first, IAF woman fighter pilot to join aerial wargames in Japan

For the first time, an Indian Air Force woman fighter pilot would be part of the Indian contingent for ... ...

International :India to receive first Rafale aircraft next month: PM Modi

The first Rafale aircraft will be handed over to India next month, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Thursday. ...

International :India to receive first Rafale aircraft next month: Modi

The first Rafale aircraft will be handed over to India next month, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Thursday. ...

International :First Rafale jet to reach India in Sept, confirms French President

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday (local time) confirmed that the first Rafale aircraft will reach India by next month. ...