'Massive upgrade for our Defence Forces:' Tendulkar lauds Rafale addition to IAF's arsenal

Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday lauded the addition of French-made Rafale jets to India's defence arsenal. Taking to Twitter, the batting maestro also congratulated the Indian Air Force for the new entrants. Tendulkar hailed the procurement as a massive upgrade for the Defence forces, who are tirelessly protecting the nation. 

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In a major boost to India's defence arsenal, the Indian Air Force received the first five Rafale Jets on Wednesday. The French-made Rafale jets were welcomed by Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command, Air Marshal B Suresh at the Ambala airbase. The jets took off from the Merignac airbase in French port city of Bordeaux on Monday and arrived here after covering a distance of 7,000 km with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates. 

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'Will make IAF much stronger'

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh welcomed India's powerful new entrants and also thanked the French Government and Dassault Aviation for ensuring timely delivery amid the pandemic. The Raksha Mantri highlighted that the aircraft has 'very good flying performance' and that its weapons, radar and other sensors and Electronic Warfare capabilities are amongst the best in the world. "Its arrival in India will make the IAF much stronger to deter any threat that may be posed on our country," Singh tweeted. 

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The first fleet of five jets comprises three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft arrived in India nearly four years after the two countries inked an inter-governmental agreement to supply 36 of the multi-role jets to the Indian Air Force (IAF) under a Rs 59,000-crore deal. All 36 jets are expected to arrive in India by September 2022, for which the IAF has been reportedly undertaking preparations, including readying the required infrastructure and training of pilots.

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