TSAMTO, February 15. According to The Hindu, with reference to a representative of the Ministry of Defense, the last batch of three Rafale fighters is due to arrive in India this week.
At the same time, work is underway on the territory of India to modernize previously received fighters to the standard Indian configuration with the introduction of 13 specific changes (ISE - India Specific Enhancement).
After the flight to India of the last batch of Rafales, one RB008 aircraft equipped with measuring equipment will remain in France, which is already equipped with specific equipment, certified and formally transferred to the Indian Air Force.
As a representative of the Indian Ministry of Defense said on condition of anonymity, the Indian Air Force received the planes in France, and the order of their delivery to India is currently being agreed. The fighters should arrive in the country by the middle of the week.
As before, Rafale fighters will fly from France with air refueling with the support of the French Air Force and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to another source of the publication, at the moment all ISE changes have been certified. Currently, the aircraft located in India are already undergoing modernization.
The first Rafale of the Indian Air Force, RB008, made its first flight in France on October 30, 2018. It was on this aircraft that all 13 specific modifications for the Indian Air Force were installed, tested and certified. These elements are absent on fighters supplied to other countries.
As reported by TSAMTO, the Ministry of Defense of India signed a contract with Dassault Aviation on September 23, 2016 for the supply of 36 Rafale fighters. The total declared cost of the program is 7.878 billion. Euro ($8.5 billion). Of the 36 aircraft made in a configuration that meets the requirements of the Indian Air Force, 28 machines will be delivered in a single–seat version and 8 units - a double.
The first five Rafale fighters (three single and two double) landed at the Ambala Airbase, where the 17th fighter Squadron "Golden Arrows" is located, on July 29, 2020. The official ceremony of taking the first aircraft into service with the Indian Air Force took place on September 10, 2020.
In July last year, the staffing of the 101st fighter squadron "Falcons", stationed at the a /b "Hasimara", began.
Three of the four remaining Rafale fighters were received by representatives of the Indian Air Force Command on February 2, 2022 at the Istres-Le Tube airbase.
