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On Monday, 5 Rafale jets took off from France to India, covering the distance of 7000 km with the refuelling of fuel in the midair, which will land in India on Wednesday.
There will be only one stop during the journey, which is in UAE.
India has bought 36 Rafale jets in a deal worth 7.87 billion euros with France four years from now.
The first batch of Rafale jets will be joining the Indian Air Force fleet at the Ambala airbase in Haryana. The five fighter jets took off from the Merignac airbase in southern France.
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Indian Embassy in France
The Indian Embassy in France shared the videos on twitter of Rafale jets ready to take off. The event marked a "new milestone in India-France defence cooperation," said by the Indian Embassy in France.
The Indian Embassy in France shared the video on twitter titled “Beauty and the Beast.”
Indian Ambassador Jawed Ashraf was also there to see off the fighter jets. He congratulated and wished success to the Indian pilots on becoming the first ones to fly the world's most advanced and potent fighter aircraft.
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Indian Embassy tweeted," Indian Ambassador to #France interacts with the Indian pilots of the Rafale. Congratulates and wishes them a safe flight to India with a single hop".
Indian Ambassador also thanked the French Government and Dassault Aviation for the timely delivery of the Rafale jets.
"No media coverage is planned on arrival. The final induction ceremony will take place in second half of August 20 wherein full media coverage would be planned," said the Indian Air Force.
Earlier, the first batch of the fighter jets included only four aircraft, but after the special request by the Indian Air Force, France has accelerated the delivery process increasing it to five fighter jets.
In a statement, the Indian mission in France said, "the delivery of all 36 aircraft will be completed by the end of 2021".
Written by Shrey Srivastava, a Journalism graduate from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. He writes for Politics, Education and International affairs.
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