In pics: India gets first Rafale fighter jet

French planespotter JP Dewam has photographed the Rafale fighter jet that was handed over to the Indian Air Force a few days ago

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The Indian Air Force on September 19 received the first Rafale combat aircraft at the Dassault Aviation manufacturing facility in France.

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But the planes would start arriving in India only in May 2020 after validation of the India Specific Enhancements and training of pilots and personnel.

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As per the Rs 60,000 crore contract signed between India and France, the first aircraft was scheduled to be delivered in acceptance mode to the Indian side and it will now undergo trials and tests for another seven months more in France, sources said.

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The Indian Air Force will deploy one squadron each of the Rafale combat aircraft at its airbases in Ambala in Haryana and Hashimara in West Bengal.

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This was done to to arrest the fall of combat squadrons and meet urgent requirements on India's eastern and western fronts.