New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will fly a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet on October 8 from a French airbase in Paris to gain first-hand experience of the aircraft, official sources said on Thursday. Singh is scheduled to travel to Paris on October 7 on a three-day visit, primarily to receive the first of 36 Rafale fighter jets.
“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 said.
Mr. Singh is scheduled to travel to Paris on October 7 on a three-day visit, primarily to receive the first of 36 Rafale fighter jets.
The ceremony to hand over the first Rafale jet will take place on October 8, the foundation day of the Indian Air Force (IAF), the sources said.
On October 9, Mr. Singh is scheduled to hold extensive talks with top defence brass of the French government on ways to further deepen defence and security cooperation between the two countries.
In September 2016, India signed a deal with the French government and Dassault Aviation to acquire 36 Rafale fighter jets for over 7.8 billion euros to arrest the fall of combat squadrons and meet urgent requirements on the eastern and western fronts. Defence Minister had recently flown in the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas in Bengaluru.
