India gets Rafale's 36th and last aircraft from France

Tags: Defence National News

Rafale, the last of the 36 IAF Rafale aircraft, has landed in New Delhi after refuelling by a UAE Air Force tanker aircraft after taking off from France.

Important facts

• With the landing of the last Rafale aircraft, the delivery of 36 Rafale fighter jets to the country has been completed.

• The first batch of five state-of-the-art Rafale fighter jets arrived in India on July 29, 2021, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 aircraft at a cost of around Rs 60,000 crore.

• Earlier, according to the deal, France had handed over 35 Rafale fighter jets to India.

• These jets are stationed at Ambala, Haryana and Hashimara in West Bengal.

• The 36th aircraft with RB tail number has been handed over to India by France and all its parts and other components have been replaced as it was being used for upgrading.

About Rafale aircraft

• It is a French twin-engine multirole fighter aircraft designed by Dassault Aviation Company of France.

• It was introduced in the year 2001.

• State-of-the-art technology has been used in it and it is a 4.5 generation fighter aircraft.

• The Meteor missile, SCALP cruise missile and MICA missile system present in it make it very important from the point of view of security.

• It can fly at a speed of 2,222 kilometres per hour and a height of 50,000 feet.

• Its length is about 15.27 meters and it can carry 9,500 kg of bombs and ammunition at a time.