By IANS Oct 9, 2019 9:45:41 AM IST (Updated)
Defence minister Rajnath Singh formally received the first of the 36 Rafale fighter jets in France on the occasion of Dussehra on Tuesday, three years after signing the Rs 59,000 crore deal in September 2016 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh formally received the first of the 36 Rafale fighter jets in France on the occasion of Dussehra which is being celebrated across India on Tuesday. The fighter jet was handed over at Merignac at a facility of Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale jets.
Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier welcomed Rajnath Singh after he landed at the Bordeaux-Merignac Air Base from Paris on a French military aircraft. He visited the production unit of Dassault Aviation led by Trappier and other French officials.
Rajnath Singh was shown a short audio-visual clip on the history of aircraft manufacturing by Dassault before the Rafale handing over ceremony. His French counterpart Florence Parly was also present during the handover ceremony.