Indian Air Force practises in France for Bastille Day parade on July 14

An Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent that arrived in France on Friday has been engaged in a practice session for the upcoming Bastille Day celebrations scheduled to be held in the European country on July 14.

Taking to Twitter, the Indian Air Force informed of the practice session being carried out by the IAF contingent, which will participate in France's National Day next week.

"The Warriors in Blue, All set to Sizzle on the Avenues des Champs Elysee. #BastilleDay #SwingIt," the Indian Air Force tweeted.

An Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent of four Rafale fighter jets, and two C-17 Globemasters, which are slated to participate in the Bastille Day flypast over the Champs Elysees in Paris on July 14, landed at the Evreux-Fauville Air Base in France on Friday.

Officials said that the IAF flying contingent of 4 Rafale aircraft and 2 C-17 Globemasters were welcomed by the French Air and Space Force (FASF).

The officials also stated that the Rafales were refuelled by IAF's IL-78 tankers while flying to France, enabling the Rafales to finish the direct voyage from India to France.

India and France have a long history of cooperation, particularly in air power, as seen by the flypast and march of the IAF air warriors on Bastille Day.

"The flypast and marching by the IAF air warriors on Bastille Day follow a long association that the two nations share, especially in the field of air power," said an official statement by the Ministry of Defence.

"Many Indians like Welinkar, Shivdev Singh, HC Dewan and Jumbo Majumdar fought over the skies of France during the two World Wars. Some, like Jumbo Majumdar, were also decorated for their gallant action, over the Falaise Gap, during the terminal phase of World War II," added the official statement.

The statement also said, "The Indian Air Force has operated multiple French aircraft starting with the Ouragan."

This was followed by fighter aircraft like Breguet Alize, Mystere IVA, SEPECAT Jaguar, Mirage 2000 and now, the Rafale. Helicopters like the Alouette-III & Lama continue to render yeoman services to India, especially in the remote Himalayan areas, it added.

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France on its National Day, French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain recently expressed the desire to have Indian troops participate in the parade and Indian Rafales in the sky to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the two nations.

Speaking to ANI, Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain said, "Well, it's going to be a very important visit. India is the guest of honour on our Bastille Day...our National Day. Every year we have a guest of honour but this year, it is very special that's the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between France and India and we wanted to have Indian troops in the parade and also Indian Rafales in the sky."

The visit of PM Modi is expected to set new goals for the strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation between the two nations.

Talking about the key takeaways from PM Modi's upcoming visit to France, he said, "There will be a lot. Each time, there are important meetings at that level. There will be some new momentum for cooperation. That being the 25th anniversary this year, we are going to draft a roadmap to open for new cooperation in the future, especially in the field of technology, the fight against climate change, global issues, and people-to-people exchanges..there would be a lot of news."

The envoy also commended the camaraderie between President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and emphasized the intention to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries.

India and France are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their Strategic Partnership this year.

At the invitation of France President Emmanuel Macron, PM Modi will be the Guest of Honour on France's National Day on July 14.

The French traditional military parade is held in Paris during Bastille Day on July 14. PM Modi's visit will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the "strategic partnership" between France and India.