New Delhi: Amid the ongoing political controversy of the Rafale jet deal, the Indian Air Force is making all necessary arrangements for the induction of the fighter jet by training its pilots and putting in place the other necessary infrastructure.
The IAF is expected to send a batch of its pilots to France for training on the Rafale jets by the year end. Some teams have already been to France to ensure that Dassault Aviation, the manufacturers, put in place some of the enhancements which are specific to IAF’s requirements on the fighter aircraft.
The agreement between Indian and French governments was finalised in September 2016 for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets at an estimated cost of Rs 58,000 crore. The first batch of jets which are capable of carrying a number of lethal weapons and missiles are expected to be delivered beginning September next year.
Dassault Aviation is believed to have already started test flights of the jets to be handed over to India and the company has been told to strictly adhere to the timeline for delivery of the aircraft.
These 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 among others. While a team of IAF pilots have already trained on Rafale jets in France, they are expected to go back again by end of the year, sources added.
