New Delhi: At a time when India-China border tension is on, India will receive “fully loaded” six Rafale fighter aircraft by July-end fitted with the long-range Meteor air to air missiles.
The missiles can hit targets at more than 150 km strike range which is an immense booster for the Indian Air Force over the Chinese Air Force.
“Depending upon the situation and the ongoing training of IAF pilots in France, we may get six Rafales by July-end. The aircraft will be arriving with their full package and will be made operational within few days itself,” government sources told ANI.
The IAF officials shall announce the date of arrival of the fighter jets by mid-July after taking multiple factors into account.
India had signed a deal worth over Rs 60,000 crore with France in September 2016 for 36 Rafales to meet the emergency requirements of the Indian Air Force.
Meanwhile, the Indian Armed Forces is all set to counter any aggression by the Chinese in the Galwan valley in Eastern Ladakh.