Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will fly a sortie on a Rafale aircraft in France next week. According to defence sources, the Defence Minister is scheduled to visit France to receive Rafale fighter jets on October 8. The date has been chosen for formally receiving the aircraft because Dussehra this year falls on it and Air Force Day in India is also observed on the same day. “Rajnath Singh will fly a sortie on a Rafale aircraft when he formally receives the first aircraft in France on October 8. He will fly the sortie on a two-seater trainer aircraft,” a senior defence ministry official was quoted by IANS as saying.
Although with the Defence Minister’s visit, the Rafale planes would be officially inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF), they would start arriving in India only in May 2020 after training of pilots and personnel on it.
