First Rafales by July-end, to be based in Ambala

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 29

India is likely to receive the first batch of six Rafale jets by July-end and the planes will be based at Ambala, a base geographically positioned to counter threats from both western and northern fronts.

On June 2, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had held a telephonic conversation with his French counterpart Florence Parly and it was conveyed to India that the jets would be delivered as scheduled despite the Covid pandemic.

The planes are expected to significantly boost India’s combat capability, people familiar with the development said. The scalp missile fitted onto the jets provides a range of 560 km to hit ground targets. It can also fire the Meteor air-to-air missile.

The jets will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low-band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems.

The IAF has been deployed on the northern front in view of the escalation in tension with China following clashes between troops of the two countries in Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh.

India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for procurement of 36 Rafale jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore.