Rafale jets to be formally inducted into IAF on Thursday

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, his French counterpart Florence Parly and India's top military brass will attend a ceremony in Ambala airbase on September 10 to formally induct five Rafale fighter jets into the Indian Air Force, officials said. The French defence minister is scheduled to arrive on the same day in the morning and will depart late afternoon. Parly and Singh will reportedly hold talks in on ways to further deepen bilateral defence and security cooperation, post the ceremony. The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, nearly four years after India signed an agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore.