France\'s NSA meets PM Modi in Delhi
Earlier in the day, NSA Ajit Doval held a meeting with Bonne.
New Delhi: France's National Security Advisor (NSA) Emmanuel Bonne met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, NSA Ajit Doval held a meeting with Bonne.
The meeting of the two NSAs came days after Modi met his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in France. Both the leaders confirmed that first Rafale fighter jets will be handed over to India in September.
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 Rajnath Singh and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa are scheduled to receive the first Rafale fighter jet manufactured by French aerospace firm Dassault Aviation for India on September 20.
The officials here have said the Indian Rafale is far more advanced than the ones operating with the French Air Force and hence, the plane would continue to be used for training Indian pilots till May next year.
The Indian Air Force will deploy one each squadron of the Rafale combat aircraft at its airbases in Ambala in Haryana and Hashimara in West Bengal.