Three more Rafale jets take off for India from France

PARIS: Another set of Rafale jets took off from France for India on Wednesday, the Indian Embassy here said.

The new set of jets, which will have three more Rafales have taken off for a non-stop flight with mid-air refuelling by the UAE air force.

"Three more #Rafale jets take off from France for a non-stop flight to India with mid-air refuelling by UAE MRTT; Adding more strength to India's air power. Wishing our amazing pilots smooth flight and safe landing with superb fighter jets," the Indian embassy tweeted.

The first batch of five Rafale jets flew into India on July 29 after a stopover at the Al Dhafra airbase near Abu Dhabi, although a formal induction ceremony took place later on September 10.

The second batch of Rafale aircraft arrived in India in November after flying non-stop from France.

On Tuesday, the Rafale jets participated in the Republic Day flypast.

A total of 36 of these aircraft would reach India by mid-2022 under a Rs 60,000 crore deal signed in 2016 by the NDA government.